ABSTRACT

Background

Dental anxiety in children is a major health concern. Process drama adopts distancing techniques that allow children to examine the possible causes of dental anxiety safely and with authority. Using this method to inform paediatric dentistry is novel and could be adopted in other fields where children experience health-related anxiety.

Methods

A 90-minute process drama workshop was conducted in three primary schools in Batley,West Yorkshire. Sixty-three children participated in the study. Sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematic analysis conducted.

Results

Four key concepts emerged: 1) Fear of the unknown; 2) Unpleasant sensory experience; 3) Society’s perception and portrayal of the dentist and 4) Learnt negative associations with the dentist.

Conclusion

Process drama offers a novel approach to develop an understanding of dental anxiety in children. It elicits critical insights from a child’s perspective and offers a participatory model for engaging children in health research on sensitive issues.

中文翻译：

---

候诊室内：让儿童参与牙科焦虑研究的过程戏剧性和戏剧性距离

摘要

背景

儿童牙科焦虑症是一个主要的健康问题。过程剧采用了疏远技术，让孩子们能够安全且权威地检查牙齿焦虑的可能原因。使用这种方法来告知儿科牙科是新颖的，并且可以在儿童经历与健康相关的焦虑的其他领域中采用。

方法

在西约克郡巴特利的三所小学举办了一个 90 分钟的过程戏剧研讨会。63 名儿童参加了这项研究。会议进行了录音、转录和主题分析。

结果

出现了四个关键概念：1）对未知的恐惧；2）不愉快的感官体验；3) 社会对牙医的看法和描绘； 4) 习得与牙医的负面联系。

结论

过程剧提供了一种新的方法来了解儿童牙科焦虑症。它从儿童的角度引发批判性见解，并为让儿童参与敏感问题的健康研究提供了一种参与模式。