Document Type : original article
Authors
Department of Clinical Psychology, Bushehr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bushehr, Iran
Abstract
Background: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of play therapy on reducing behavioral problems, attention deficit and hyperactivity in children.
Methods: The present study followed an applied-experimental design (pre-test-post-test) with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all the hyperactive 7-12-year-old boys of an elementary school in the 2nd district of Shiraz in the academic year 2018-2019. A sample of 24 individuals in the fifth and sixth grades (average age of 11 years) were selected based on the inclusion criteria and were randomly divided into two groups (12 in the control group and 12 in the experimental group). The experimental group underwent play therapy training in eight 90-min sessions with the cooperation of school psychologists. In order to collect data, Rutter's Behavioral Problems Questionnaire (Parent Form) and Conners Rating Questionnaire were used to evaluate the subjects, and the collected data was analyzed in the form of descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (analysis of covariance, for hypothesis testing). Data analysis was performed using SPSS-24 software.
Results and Conclusion: The results of data analysis showed that play therapy was associated with significant effectiveness in reducing behavioral problems and reducing attention deficit and hyperactivity in primary school children, and it reduced behavioral problems and the severity of hyperactivity symptoms.
Keywords
- Dana A, Christodoulides E. The effects of a period of selected physical activity on improving manipulative and locomotors skills of children with neuropsychological learning disabilities. Journal of Rehabilitation Sciences & Research. 2020; 7(1):25-30.
- Ghorbani S, Dana A, Christodoulides E. Effects of external focus of attention on learning static balance among girls with ADHD. Biomedical Human Kinetics. 2020; 12(1):69-74.
- Sabzi AH, Dana A, Salehian MH, Shaygan Yekta H. The Effect of Water Treadmill Exercise on Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. International Journal of Pediatrics. 2021; 9(6):13671-81.
- Association AP. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2013.
- Dana A, Rafii S, Sultan Ahmadi T, Hamza Sabzi A. The effect of training based on developmental physical education on students' attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Motor Behavior. 2018; 32:17-34.
- Nikolas MA, Elmore AL, Franzen L, O'Neal E, Kearney JK, Plumert JM. Risky bicycling behavior among youth with and without attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry. 2016; 57(2):141-8.
- Fazlinia Z, Dana A. Comparison of the effect of perceptual-motor exercises and resistance-balance exercises on behavioral disorders of children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. Movement Behavior. 2020; 12(40):67-86.
- Mashhadhi A, Soltanifar A, Makarari F, Nofarsti F. Examining the frequency of comorbid disorders and its effect on the response to methylphenidate treatment in children with hyperactivity. Researcher magazine. 2011; 4(16):162-8.
- Sahim S, Mehrangiz L. Prevalence of ADHD in school age children. Iranian Journal of Pediatrics. 2007; 17(2):211-6.
- Reebye P. Attention–deficit hyperactivity disorder: a handbook for diagnosis and treatment. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2008; 17(1):31.
- Omidvar A, Dana A, Hamza Sabzi A, Pourpanahi M. The effect of education based on developmental physical education on the working memory of elementary school students. School Psychology. 2017; 7(1):83-101.
- Turgay A, Ginsberg L, Sarkis E, Jain R, Adeyi B, Gao J, Dirks B, Babcock T, Scheckner B, Richards C, Lasser R, Findling RL. Executive function deficits in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and improvement with lisdexamfetamine dimesylate in an open-label study. Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology. 2010; 20(6):503-11.
13. Brown TE. Executive functions and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Implications of two conflicting views. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education. 2006;
53(1):35-46.
- Moradi J, Bahrami A, Dana A. Motivation for participation in sports based on athletes in team and individual sports. Physical Culture and Sport Studies and Research. 2020; 85(1):14-21.
- Shen Y. Play therapy in Texas schools. Guidance & Counseling. 2006; 21(4):230-5.
- Brown T, Harvey S, Cordier R, Esdaile S, Bundy A, Cattanach A, et al. Play as Therapy: Assessment and Therapeutic Interventions: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 2009.
- Goldard C, Goldard D. Counseling with children using play therapy: Arjomand; 2010.
- Seyyedrezaei SH, Khajeaflaton S, Ghorbani S, Dana A. Relative Age Effects on Children’s Handwriting: Role of Visual-Motor Integration. International Journal of Pediatrics. 2021;9(1):12775-83.
- Alizadeh M. The effectiveness of group-based cognitive-behavioral game therapy on reducing internal and external behavioral problems of homeless children: Al-Zahra University; 2016.
- AryaPouran S, Eskandari A. The effectiveness of group play therapy on the symptoms of confrontational disobedience and behavior disorder in 6-9 year old children with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Pediatric Nursing Journal. 2016; 2(4):44-50.
- El-Nagger NS, Abo-Elmagd MH, Ahmed HI. Effect of applying play therapy on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. J Nurs Educ Pract. 2017; 7(5):104.
- Green EJ, Drewes AA, Kominski JM. Use of mandalas in Jungian play therapy with adolescents diagnosed with ADHD. International Journal of Play Therapy. 2013; 22(3):159.
- Jafari N, Mohammadi MR, Khanbani M, Farid S, Chiti P. Effect of play therapy on behavioral problems of maladjusted preschool children. Iranian journal of psychiatry. 2011; 6(1):37.
- Ghorbani Ashin Y, Talebi G, Jahandar B, Rabanizadeh M. The effectiveness of play therapy on symptoms of hyperactivity disorder and attention deficit in primary school children. Development of Jandishapur Education. 2015; 20(1):36-45.
- Torabi S, Rahmanian M, Farrokhzad P, Alibazi H. Comparing the effectiveness of individual play therapy and play therapy combined with family therapy on reducing the behavioral problems of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Applied Psychology. 2015; 2(1):56-71.
)