Effect of bibliotherapy on self-concept in children with mental retardation in SLB

Children with mental retardation are children with special needs with a level of intelligence > 70. The self-concept of a child with mental retardation is influenced by their pattern of care as well as their environment. Rejection by the environment and deviations in care adjustments can cause the child to be unwilling to communicate and interact, to form a bad perception of development and self-concept. Thus, the researchers were interested in studying the effect of bibliotherapy on the self-concept of children with mental retardation in SLB. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether bibliotherapy had any influence on self-concept.

This study was a quasi-experimental research study which involved 42 respondents as its population. The population was made up of 24 students of SLB Sasanti Wiyata and 18 students of SLB AKW Kumara II Surabaya. The sample of this study was made up of 36 respondents according to the inclusion criteria, gathered using a purposive sampling technique. The independent variable was bibliotherapy. The dependent variable was self-concept. The instruments used were the Robson Self-Concept Questionnaires. The data analysis used a Manova test in SPSS with a significant value α <0.05.

The results showed, in the treatment group via a Manova test, 0.005 for self-image, 0.033 for personal identity, 0.001 for self-esteem, 0.004 for self-ideal, 0.198 for role. With partial eta squared, the results indicated that bibliotherapy can affect self-esteem with a value of 0.302. The provision of bibliotherapy in this research was found to have a positive influence and improved self-concept in children with mental retardation in SLB.

Bibliotherapy can improve self-concept in children mental retardation in SLB. With bibliotherapy, children will learn and also imagine according to circumstances and desires. Moreover, one of the session in bibliotherapy encourage the children express their feelings.