| Bibliotherapy is defined as the use of books to help individuals solve problems. The purpose of this study was to determine whether bibliotherapy has an effect on the anxiety levels of students as measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory for Youth. Although there have been studies relating bibliotherapy with a single stressful situation, there has been little to no research relating bibliotherapy with stress in general. Theories underlying this study include the theory of emotional intelligence, reader response theory, theory of differentiation, and the transactional model of stress theory. The sample included 2 groups of 5th graders in a local educational setting in a southern U.S. state. Group A received 2 weeks of bibliotherapy intervention including 3, one hour lessons per week while Group B received traditional story time for 3 sessions per week. After treatment, the groups were again administered the Beck Anxiety Rating Scale inventory. Measurements of anxiety were compared between the two groups and an analysis of covariance was computed and analyzed. A between-subjects measure, as well as a within-subjects measure was also compared after categorizing participants in low stress or high stress. The findings suggested a significant relationship between the use of bibliotherapy and lower levels of anxiety. The implications for social change are that the findings may add to the body of knowledge for educators and parents about a coping strategy, bibliotherapy, which is gaining momentum in the fight against childhood stress and anxiety. |
