Literature as a therapeutic instrument in the health-disease process in childhood

Abstract

Introduction: Everybody, throughout their life, must adapt to countless situations in which they are involved; that is why it is necessary to understand each of them in order to advance properly. It has been observed that psychological therapies, among which bibliotherapy is, are effective to understand the changes that people face. Objective: To analyze and highlight the most relevant effects of the use of literature on the child's health-disease process at different times and contexts. Method: A review of the literature was performed through the bibliographic research in the databases Dialnet, Cuiden Plus, LILACS, Medline, Proquest, Pubmed, Scielo, Scopus, TDR, Trip and Virtual Health Library. Results: After the bibliographic research, 2018 articles were identified, out of which 71 articles were obtained after applying filters and inclusion criteria. Finally, 26 articles were selected. Conclusions: Bibliotherapy is beneficial in various areas related to the health-disease process during childhood, improving among other things self-esteem and acceptance of reality, promoting psychological well-being and serving as a bridge in communication between the individual and the health professional.