Comparing the Effectiveness of Gestalt-Based Play Therapy and Parent Behavior Management Training on Impulsivity of Children with Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

The present study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of play therapy based on the Gestalt approach and parent behavior management training on the impulsivity of children with signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

This research was applied research in terms of purpose, quantitative research in terms of the nature of the data, and semi-experimental research with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group in terms of implementation. The statistical population consists of all children aged 7-to-12 who referred to counseling and psychology centers and clinics of Razi Hospital in Tabriz due to symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in 2022. The tools used in the research were impulsivity questionnaire along with the implementation protocol of play therapy interventions based on the Gestalt approach and parent behavior management training.

Based on the results of multivariate covariance analysis, the effect of both play therapy interventions based on the Gestalt approach and behavioral management training for impulsive parents was confirmed(p<0.05). The comparison of interventions showed that the effectiveness of parental behavioral management training on impulsivity was significantly higher than the intervention of play therapy based on the Gestalt approach(p<0.05).

In general, it is concluded that play therapy interventions based on the Gestalt approach and parent behavior management training have the potential to be effective in reducing impulsivity, and educational and therapeutic specialists can use these interventions to control children's hyperactivity.