Comparison of the effectiveness of Friends program training and play therapy on pain response in children with cancer

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Friends program training and play therapy on pain response in children with cancer.

The research method is quasi-experimental in the form of pre-test-post-test design with a control group. From children aged 7 to 12 years with cancer in Loghman Hospital of Tehran, 58 people were selected as the sample. Then the experimental groups underwent 10 sessions (2 sessions of 60 minutes per week) under the intervention of Friends program training and play therapy and the control group did not receive any intervention, then the post-test was performed for all three groups. The instrument used was the Pain Response Scale. Data were analyzed by covariance and Bonferroni post hoc test.

Friends program training and play therapy were effective on pain response in children with cancer. Comparison of the two interventions showed that the effectiveness of Friends program training on pain response is greater than play therapy.

Friends and play therapy program can be used to improve the pain response of children with cancer, but the use of Friends program is recommended.