The effect of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) on the symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder in preschool children

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) on the symptoms of ODD in preschool children. In this quasi-experimental study, using a randomized pretest, posttest, follow-up (RPPF) design with a control group, 24 children in the age range of 5-7 years were selected based on the cut off point of CSI-4 and were randomly assigned into two equal groups of experimental and control (n = 12 each). The experimental group underwent CCPT intervention for 12 weeks, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were analyzed using the repeated measures ANOVA. The results showed a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in the symptoms of ODD (P < 0.05), so that CCPT intervention could reduce the symptoms of ODD in preschool children. Comparison of the scores of the evaluation stages showed that the symptoms were continuously decreasing in the experimental group in the 6-month follow-up. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that CCPT is an effective method to reduce the symptoms of ODD in preschool children. Therefore, it is recommended that this method be used for preschool children with ODD in educational institutions and psychological clinics.

KEYWORDS:

• Child-centered play therapy
• maladjustment
• oppositional defiant disorder
• preschool children

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all the parents, administrators, and educators of the preschool centers for their kind collaboration.

Disclosure statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rasoul Heshmati

Rasoul Heshmati, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at University of Tabriz. His research has focused primarily on childhood trauma, psychosomatic disorders, emotion, interpersonal violence, and community mental health.

Khalil Esmailpour

Khalil Esmailpour, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at University of Tabriz. His research interests include examining the effects of play therapies, understanding mechanisms of change in treatment for child and adolescents psychopathology.

Rasoul Hajsaghati

Rasoul Hajsaghati, MA, is a child and adolescents clinical psychologist and researcher in the Department of Psychology at University of Tabriz. His research has had a long-term focus on child and adolescents psychopathology, violence, and community mental health.

Fereshteh Azizi Barenji

Fereshteh Azizi Barenji, MA, is a clinical psychologist and researcher in the Department of Psychology at University of Tabriz. Her professional goal is to improve care for depressed child and adolescents by means of high-quality research.