Xi An Orphanage Adolescents Peer Attachment Feature: Sand Treatment Effect Study

Peer attachment is a persistent, solid and deep-seated emotional bond which is set up with some specific important person during the individual development. The emotional bond has a significant impact on the social ability and interpersonal relationship of adolescents. With this bond and connection, adolescents share their intimate sense, and also give understand and support to each other. Therefore, having a close peer attachment will give a positive impact on the development of adolescents’ personality and sociability. Peers become the most important attachment figure of adolescents.The key elements of Sandplay Therapy include:propotional sandbox, sand, water, various types of miniature models, and therapists. During the Sandplay Therapy and the psychological analysis, the Sandplay Therapy contains the basic conditions of "security, protection and freedom" and the basic characteristics of "non-verbal" and "non-directive", which combine as a comprehensive treatment effect with "empathy","induction" and "conversion". Initial Sandbox is the first sandplay that made by the player, it plays a special and important role in the sandplay therapy, not only because it reflect the very nature problems of the player, but also because it provide the clues of the problem-solving and the treating direction.Objective:This study investigates and compares the peer attachment level and dimension of adolescents from Xian welfare institute, as well as adolescents from normal family, to study the characteristics of peer attachment dimension in peer trust, peer communication and peer alienation of welfare institute adolescents. By discussing how the peer attachment dimension relates to the sandplay characteristics include:theme of initial sandplay, the number of the miniature models using, the utilization of the sandbox space, the time of the sandplay creating, the interaction level with the companies, the ability of summarizing the theme, etc., the study figures out the initial sandplay characteristic of lower peer attachment adolescents, in order to better understand the low peer attachment adolescents in welfare according to the sandplay. By providing the sandplay therapy to the low peer attachment adolescents in welfare institution, the study inspects the effect that sandplay therapy works on enhancing the peer attachment level, and also discusses the treatment method and key transforming of sandplay therapy, further explore ways and methods to improve the existing adverse circumstances.Methods:The study uses the questionnaires:Inventory of Peer Attachment (from IPPA-Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment) as measuring tool, investigates30welfare institutions adolescents and43young people from ordinary families, using independent samples T-test to compare the differences within three dimensions:trust, communication and alienation; researchers record the creating of the initial sandplay process of the30welfare institutions adolescents, analyze and sum up each indicating value, combining with the answer from questionnaires and obtain three related situations of the three Peer attachment dimension; study used a randomized experimental group control group, with three low level peer attachment adolescents who accept the sandplay therapy as the experimental group, while the other three low level peer attachment adolescents who do not accept any therapy as the control group, compare the difference of the sandbox characteristics and three peer attachment dimensions score between two groups, in order to prove the effect of sandplay therapy works on enhancing the peer attachment level of welfare institutions adolescents; study uses the statement analysis the individual treatment course to present the psychological changing process during the enhancing of peer attachment level by sandplay therapy.Results:1、In welfare institutions, adolescents have a lower score in Trust and Communication dimension of peer attachment than those from normal families, while the sore of Alienation dimension is higher than normal families adolescents, the difference differences are significant (P<0.01).2、In sandplay,the utilization of space, number of models using, and the interaction, theme explanation and description, explosion of the blue, as well as the number of successfully cure cases, they all have a significantly positively correlated (P<0.01) with Trust and Communication dimensions; while have a significantly negatively correlated (P<0.01) with Alienation dimension.3、Compared the post-test of Sandplay group and control group, sandplay group get the higher scores in the dimension of Trust and Communication, and lower score in the Alienation dimension, the differences are significant (P<0.01). Sandpaly group, compared with the control group, has a significant increase in using the space and sandplay models, hurt themes are reduced while the cured theme was significantly increased (P<0.01).Conclusions:1、The character of peer attachment:adolescents in welfare institute have significant lower level in Trust and Communication dimensions than adolescents in normal family, while have higher level Alienation dimensions than from normal family.2、The character of initial sandplay:the characteristics of the initial sandplay that reflects the level of peer attachment.3、After sandplay therapy, adolescents with lower peer attachment have increase in peer attachment score, the characteristics of sandplay works have positively transformation, which means the sandplay therapy has significant improving effect on peer attachment level of welfare institute adolescents.