The effectiveness of play therapy on behavioral problems of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Introduction Considering that play therapy is a form of psychotherapy approach and a psycho-diagnostic tool for children, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of play therapy on the behavioral problems of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The research method is semi-experimental with pre-test, post-test and control and experimental groups. The statistical population of the research was made up of Elementary school students suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who referred to the centers of learning and disorder in the 2nd district of Tehran. The sampling method was purposeful, and based on the research entry criteria, 30 people were selected and divided into 2 experimental and control groups in a simple random manner. The research tool included Covey and Patterson Behavioral Problems Questionnaire (RBPC) - revised form. Subjects had ten sessions of group play therapy with a cognitive-behavioral approach. Analysis of covariance test was used to analyze the research data. All statistical operations of the research were considered using SPSS version 25 software with a significance level of P<0.05.

 The research results showed that there is a significant difference between the scores of the experimental group in the pre-test and post-test (p<0.05). Also, the difference in the mean scores of the post-test of children's behavioral problems in the two experimental and control groups is significant (P≥0.05)

According to the research results, it can be said that play therapy is a suitable approach and intervention to reduce behavioral problems in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.