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.
Keywords: Coping cat program; Expressive art therapy; Secondary traumatic stress (STS); Sleep disorder; Syrian children.
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