@article{ref1,
title="Effect of calligraphy training on hyperarousal symptoms for childhood survivors of the 2008 China earthquakes",
journal="Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment",
year="2014",
author="Zhu, Zhuohong and Wang, Richu and Kao, Henry Sr and Zong, Yan and Liu, Zhengkui and Tang, Shan and Xu, Min and Liu, Ivy Cy and Lam, Stewart Pw",
volume="10",
number="",
pages="977-985",
abstract="BACKGROUND: This study investigated the treatment effects of calligraphy therapy on childhood survivors of the 2008 Sichuan earthquakes in the People's Republic of China. <br><br>METHODS: In experiment 1, 129 children participated in a 30-day calligraphic training, and 81 children were controls. The Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale was adopted to assess behavioral effects. Experiment 2 involved 41 treatment subjects and 39 controls, with the same procedure as in experiment 1 except that salivary cortisol level was also measured as a physiological indicator. <br><br>RESULTS: After 30 days of calligraphy treatment, the arousal symptoms and salivary cortisol levels in the experimental group decreased from 5.72±0.31 and 13.34±2.88 to 4.98±0.31 and 9.99±2.81, respectively. In the control group, there was not a significant decrease from pretest to post-test. In addition, the arousal scores in posttest (4.98±4.39) were significantly lower than midtest (5.71±4.14) for girls; in contrast, for boys, posttest (4.90±4.24) showed little change compared with midtest (5.04±4.36), but both were significantly lower than pretest (6.42±4.59). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Calligraphy therapy was effective in reducing hyperarousal symptoms among child survivors.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1176-6328",
doi="10.2147/NDT.S55016",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S55016"
}