Comparison of the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral playtherapy and philaal therapy on impulsivity, social competenceand empathy in children with learning disabilities

This research aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral play therapy and filial therapy in reducing impulsivity, improving social competence, and enhancing empathy in children with learning disabilities.

The current research method was semi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group with a three-month follow-up period. The statistical population of the research included all students aged 7 to 9 (first and third grades) with learning disabilities in the academic year of 2011-2012 who referred to learning disability centers located in Tonkabon city. 45 were available and were randomly placed in three groups of the first experiment (cognitive behavioral game therapy), the second experiment (filial therapy) and the control group. The tools used are Barat Impulsivity Scale Questionnaire (1959), Social Competence Scale by Cohen and Rasman (1972), Khosravi and Larijani's Standard Empathy-Child and Adolescent Questionnaire (2019) and Filial play therapy intervention, a 10-session, 90-minute therapy session and a once a week and cognitive behavioral game therapy intervention was an 8-session, 60-minute therapy session once a week, the data were analyzed by repeated measurement variance analysis method and SPSS version 24 software.

Both cognitive-behavioral play therapy and filial therapy were effective in reducing impulsivity in children with learning disabilities (P<0.01). However, based on the Bonferroni post-hoc test, the cognitive-behavioral method had a greater effect on reducing impulsivity compared to filial therapy. The results showed that both cognitive-behavioral play therapy and filial therapy were effective in improving social competence and empathy in children with learning disabilities. However, based on the Bonferroni post-hoc test, filial therapy had a greater effect on increasing social competence and empathy compared to the cognitive-behavioral approach (P<0.01).

Overall, this research demonstrated that both cognitive-behavioral and filial therapy approaches are effective tools for increasing empathy, reducing impulsivity, and enhancing social competence in individuals. The use of these approaches in counseling and treatment centers can aid in improving interpersonal relationships and mental health.