Trial reportEuropean journal of pediatrics2026
Efficacy of bibliotherapy combined with games to reduce fear of the dark in young children: results from a clinical trial.
Trial report in European journal of pediatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07067320 (Efficacy of Bibliotherapy Combined With Games to Reduce Fear of the Dark in Young Children), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Efficacy of Bibliotherapy Combined With Games to Reduce Fear of the Dark in Young Children: Results From a Clinical Trial
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Intense fear of the dark is a common issue among children, which can interfere with their daily functioning at family, social, and academic levels. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of a psychotherapeutic intervention based on bibliotherapy combined with play to overcome the fear of the dark in children between 4 and 8 years old. A total of 38 children participated, who were assigned to the experimental and control conditions on the waiting list. The bibliotherapy intervention in the experimental condition involved reading a book and playing the games proposed in each chapter. The intervention lasted 4 to 5 weeks. The results indicate a decrease in fears related to nighttime characteristics and imaginary stimuli in the experimental group, whereas no improvements were observed in the control group. Additionally, significant improvements were found in the nighttime behavior of children in the experimental group and their ability to act in dark situations.
conclusionThe findings demonstrate that play-based bibliotherapy is an effective treatment for overcoming children's fear of the dark. Furthermore, the relevant role of parents in addressing this type of problem is demonstrated.
trial registrationregistered on https://ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT07067320). Date of registration: 16/07/2025, retrospectively registered. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Fear of the dark is common in children and can negatively affect sleep, behavior, and daily functioning. • Bibliotherapy is a promising, low-cost intervention for addressing children's nighttime fears. WHAT IS NEW: • Provides evidence for the effectiveness of a home-based bibliotherapy program combined with games for children aged 4-8 in reducing fears and improving nighttime behavior, highlighting the key role of parents. • Evaluates an expanded version of the intervention with new components (e.g., gradual exposure, nightmare management).
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