The effectiveness of family-centered play therapy on reducing children's behavioral problems

Background. Childhood is one of the most important stages of life in which a person's personality is established and formed. Most post-childhood behavioral disorders and maladaptations are due to a lack of attention to a sensitive childhood and a lack of proper guidance in the developmental process. This negligence leads to incompatibility with the environment and the occurrence of various deviations in different dimensions for the child. The present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of play-based family therapy on reducing behavioral problems in children in Ardakan, Iran.

Methods. This quasi-experimental research had a pre-test-post-test design with experimental and control groups and random replacement. The statistical population included all children with behavioral problems aged 7-11 years who were studying in Ardakan city in 2018-2019 academic year. Using purposive sampling method, 30 subjects were selected and randomly assigned into the control and experimental groups. The experimental group received a family-centered play therapy program for nine sessions, while the control group received no intervention. The research tool included a demographic questionnaire and a Children's Behavioral Checklist (CBCL), which was provided to parents. Research data were analyzed using univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

Results. The results of data analysis showed that the family-centered play therapy training program improved children's behavioral problems, aggression, lawlessness, isolation, anxiety, and depression in the experimental group.(P<0.01) No significant change was observed in the control group. Conclusion. Family-centered play therapy can be an effective method in improving behavioral problems in children.

Practical implications. Therapists can use family-centered play therapy in the process of treating children's behavioral problems as one of the effective methods in reducing symptoms.