Effect of Theraplay-Based Play Therapy on Separation Anxiety in Elementary School Girls: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and Objective: School-age children often experience separation anxiety due to being away from their families. A therapeutic approach to address this issue is Theraplay-based play therapy. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Theraplay-based play therapy on separation anxiety...

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Main Authors: Rozita Kaviani, Nafiseh Hekmatipur
Format: Article
Language:fas
Published: Golestan University of Medical Sciences 2024-12-01
Series:مجله دانشگاه علوم پزشکی گرگان
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Online Access:http://goums.ac.ir/journal/article-1-4455-en.pdf
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author Rozita Kaviani
Nafiseh Hekmatipur
author_facet Rozita Kaviani
Nafiseh Hekmatipur
author_sort Rozita Kaviani
collection DOAJ
description Background and Objective: School-age children often experience separation anxiety due to being away from their families. A therapeutic approach to address this issue is Theraplay-based play therapy. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Theraplay-based play therapy on separation anxiety in elementary school girls. Methods: This randomized controlled trial involved 60 elementary school girls from Aliabad-e-Katoul County, Iran, divided into two groups of 30: A control group (mean age: 8.69±0.71 years) and an intervention group (mean age: 8.9±0.85 years) in 2023. Hahn et al.’s Separation Anxiety Assessment Scale (SAAS) (parental version, 2003) was administered as a pre-test and post-test to assess separation anxiety. The control group received no intervention. The intervention group participated in ten 45-minute Theraplay-based play therapy sessions with their mothers for 10 days. Results: The mean total separation anxiety score in the pre-test was 82.2±9.27 in the intervention group and 83.53±8.8 in the control group, showing no statistically significant differences. Similarly, there were no significant differences between the two groups in pre-test scores for separation anxiety dimensions. However, the mean total separation anxiety score in the post-test was 78.36±7.87 in the intervention group and 84.03±9.01 in the control group. This difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Furthermore, significant differences were observed in all dimensions of separation anxiety (P<0.05) except for the frequency of events in the intervention group before and after the intervention. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the Theraply-based play therapy effectively reduces separation anxiety in elementary school girls.
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2008-4080
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spelling doaj-art-764ec7f99d6d4993928a9bd51b15e2ee2024-12-24T10:17:06ZfasGolestan University of Medical Sciencesمجله دانشگاه علوم پزشکی گرگان1562-47652008-40802024-12-012642937Effect of Theraplay-Based Play Therapy on Separation Anxiety in Elementary School Girls: A Randomized Controlled TrialRozita Kaviani0Nafiseh Hekmatipur1 Department of Nursing, Aliabad Katoul Branch, Islamic Azad University, Aliabad Katoul, Iran. Department of Nursing, Aliabad Katoul Branch, Islamic Azad University, Aliabad Katoul, Iran. Background and Objective: School-age children often experience separation anxiety due to being away from their families. A therapeutic approach to address this issue is Theraplay-based play therapy. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Theraplay-based play therapy on separation anxiety in elementary school girls. Methods: This randomized controlled trial involved 60 elementary school girls from Aliabad-e-Katoul County, Iran, divided into two groups of 30: A control group (mean age: 8.69±0.71 years) and an intervention group (mean age: 8.9±0.85 years) in 2023. Hahn et al.’s Separation Anxiety Assessment Scale (SAAS) (parental version, 2003) was administered as a pre-test and post-test to assess separation anxiety. The control group received no intervention. The intervention group participated in ten 45-minute Theraplay-based play therapy sessions with their mothers for 10 days. Results: The mean total separation anxiety score in the pre-test was 82.2±9.27 in the intervention group and 83.53±8.8 in the control group, showing no statistically significant differences. Similarly, there were no significant differences between the two groups in pre-test scores for separation anxiety dimensions. However, the mean total separation anxiety score in the post-test was 78.36±7.87 in the intervention group and 84.03±9.01 in the control group. This difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Furthermore, significant differences were observed in all dimensions of separation anxiety (P<0.05) except for the frequency of events in the intervention group before and after the intervention. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the Theraply-based play therapy effectively reduces separation anxiety in elementary school girls.http://goums.ac.ir/journal/article-1-4455-en.pdfplay therapyseparation anxietychild
spellingShingle Rozita Kaviani
Nafiseh Hekmatipur
Effect of Theraplay-Based Play Therapy on Separation Anxiety in Elementary School Girls: A Randomized Controlled Trial
مجله دانشگاه علوم پزشکی گرگان
play therapy
separation anxiety
child
title Effect of Theraplay-Based Play Therapy on Separation Anxiety in Elementary School Girls: A Randomized Controlled Trial
title_full Effect of Theraplay-Based Play Therapy on Separation Anxiety in Elementary School Girls: A Randomized Controlled Trial
title_fullStr Effect of Theraplay-Based Play Therapy on Separation Anxiety in Elementary School Girls: A Randomized Controlled Trial
title_full_unstemmed Effect of Theraplay-Based Play Therapy on Separation Anxiety in Elementary School Girls: A Randomized Controlled Trial
title_short Effect of Theraplay-Based Play Therapy on Separation Anxiety in Elementary School Girls: A Randomized Controlled Trial
title_sort effect of theraplay based play therapy on separation anxiety in elementary school girls a randomized controlled trial
topic play therapy
separation anxiety
child
url http://goums.ac.ir/journal/article-1-4455-en.pdf
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