Abstract
BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to develop a scale for assessing children’s ego strength through the observation of children playing board games in a therapeutic setting. Because ego strength is an index of psychosocial health, it is important to assess ego strength in childhood. In particular, children aged 7 to 9 exhibit their ego-strength characteristics in a situation challenged by self-competence due to their latency period. Therapists can identify such ego strength through game behaviors of children aged 7 to 9 in the play therapy setting. Thus, it is needed to develop a scale by selecting game play behaviors that grasp ego-strength.MethodData were collected from 127 play therapists and play therapist-supervisors, who observed 468 play therapy sessions and 55 children aged 7–9 who received play therapy in Korea. The scale was created through content validity verification, factor analysis and verification of criterion-related validity.ResultsWe generated a Child’s Ego Strength Scale (CESS) consisting of five sub-factors (Coping Strategy, Cognitive Strategy, Ego Restriction, Interpersonal Functioning, Frustration Tolerance) through exploratory factor analysis. The scale met the goodness of fit criteria in a confirmatory factor analysis. The analysis of therapy sessions of children with strong and weak ego strength, as identified by play therapists, showed a significant difference between the two groups in all five sub-variables. There was a significant correlation between the CESS scores and scores of ego strength-related variables of the Rorschach scale, indicating good criterion-related validity.ConclusionThe CESS appears to be a practical method for the assessment of ego strength in the field of child counseling.
Highlights
The purpose of this study was to develop a scale for assessing children’s ego strength through the observation of children playing board games in a therapeutic setting
Coping Strategies consisted of items corresponding to the willingness to follow rules, emotional control, impulse regulation, behavioral control, and problemsolving ability (e.g., “Displays flexibility in changing strategy depending on the situation”)
Frustration Tolerance consisted of items corresponding to their reactions to a win and loss, accepting a win or loss in the game, ritual behavior, and expressing physical reaction (e.g., “Stops playing after a bit for games with slightly complicated rules”)
Summary
The purpose of this study was to develop a scale for assessing children’s ego strength through the observation of children playing board games in a therapeutic setting. Therapists can iden‐ tify such ego strength through game behaviors of children aged 7 to 9 in the play therapy setting. Ego strength in children Childhood is a time when one breaks away from the self-centered thinking of infancy, more realistic thinking becomes possible, and ego strengthens. Such ego function includes the perception and testing of reality, instinctive impulse regulation, satisfying object relations, remembering and synthesizing experiences, and defending against danger [7]. Ego function, which helps children effectively cope with adversity and adapt to their environment, is referred to as ego strength [11], and may be classified as either strong or weak [12]
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