Research and development project
Melatonin Controversies
- Participants from Kolding School of Design
-
Sofie Kinch
Louise Aagaard
Thilde Laursen
- Research and development project type
- Research and development
- Project period
- Nov 2024 - May 2025
- Project management
Sofie Kinch
- LAB
- Play and Design
- LAB theme
- Playful Care
- Fund
- Region Sjællands Sundhedsvidenskabelige Forskningsfond
- Collaboration partners
- Forskningsenheden for Almen Praksis, Slagelse (Research Unit for General Practice in Slagelse)
Background
By prioritizing creativity and play, this study uncovers new insights into how children and adolescents navigate sleep in their daily lives - moving beyond prescriptions to consider the emotional, social, and imaginative dimensions of rest.
About the project
Sleep difficulties among children and adolescents in Denmark are a growing public health concern, with melatonin prescriptions more than doubling between 2011 and 2020. Despite this trend, young people’s perspectives on sleep and melatonin use remain largely unexplored.
This study embraces playful care by engaging children and adolescents in creative, participatory research. Rather than relying solely on traditional interviews and observations, we use ‘cultural probes’, inviting participants to explore sleep-related themes in their own environments through interactive and imaginative activities. Recognizing the deep influence of peer dynamics, we extend this approach with ‘play probes’, incorporating fictional and mirroring narratives. These playful methods create poetic and reflective spaces where young people can express their experiences beyond medicalized perspectives.
