Play as Ritual in Health Care Settings

Abstract

Children confronted with chronic illness, disabilities, and intense or repeated health care experiences face unique physical, emotional, and mental challenges. The health care professionals who most often facilitate play with children in health care settings are the child life specialists, who are certified members of the pediatric health care team. Young patients may seek out, and become involved in, play for ritualistic benefits. Numerous scholars assert that play and ritual serve similar needs in cultural contexts. Both ritual and play use various means to arouse, capture, and hold attention. Rhythm and repetition alone are positively enjoyable and have anxiety-reducing, self-comforting properties. Psychological preparation usually takes the form of adult-guided play within which the child life professional provides information of importance to the child and family in a manner that is comprehensible and age appropriate. Separation play is one form of expression that tends to become very ritualized in the repetitive manner that young patients play.