The Effectiveness of Art Therapy Based on the Coping Cat Program on Sleep Disorders in Syrian Children with Secondary Traumatic Stress

Abstract

The prolonged exposure to the Syrian war has profoundly affected the mental health of children, leading to disruptions in cognitive development and long-term well-being. This study examined the efficacy of an expressive art therapy intervention based on the Coping Cat Program in alleviating sleep disorders among Syrian war-affected children with secondary traumatic stress (STS). Twenty children residing in war-exposed areas and scoring high on the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale were included; 10 children were randomly assigned to the expressive art therapy intervention. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and semi-structured interviews were conducted at three time points: pre-treatment, post-treatment (8 weeks), and follow-up (12 weeks). Repeated measures analyses of variance demonstrated significant improvements in sleep disorder symptoms for the experimental group compared to the control group at post-treatment, with sustained effects observed at the 3-month follow-up. These findings demonstrate the potential of expressive art therapy as an intervention for addressing sleep disorders in war-affected children. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.