The efficacy of developmental attachment-based play therapy on developmental trauma disorder symptoms in children from 3 to 9 years old

The present study conducted to examine the effect of attachment based play therapy on developmental traumatic disorder (DTD) in children. This semi-experimental study with control group، conducted in 2008، in Mashhad. Fourteen kids (3-9 years)، who were diagnosed as having DTD based on Vander Kolk criteria، were selected from child psychiatry clinic in Ibn-e-Sina and dr. Sheikh hospitals. Their parents permitted to involve in this study. Patients were divided to 2 groups of intervention and control groups. Mothers of children completed Yule’s scale and for evaluation of children''s stress parenting stress index-short form (PSI-SF) for evaluation of parents'' stress. Ten sessions of play therapy were conducted for intervention groups. Then mothers in 2 groups completed the tests again. In the variables of age، sex and grade of children also in the age and education of mothers، patients in 2 groups did not have any significant differences (P>0. 05). There were not any significant differences in scores of Yule’s scale، PSI-SF and parental distress at base- line between 2 groups (P=0. 10، P=0. 34 and P=0. 58 respectively). After play therapy these test in the intervention group was significantly different from the control group (P<0. 001، P=0. 01 and P=0. 01 respectively). The differences in scores of difficult child subscale between 2 groups، before and after intervention were not significant (P=0. 86، P=0. 14 respectively). The differences in scores of malfunction in child-parent relation before and after treatment were significant in intervention group (P=0. 01) but there were not meaningful differences in control group (P=0. 52). Attachment based developmental play therapy reduces the stress of children and their mothers.