Effectiveness of Theraplay on Reactive Attachment Disorder in Children Aged 8-12 Years

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student, Department of Psychology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of theraplay on symptoms of reactive attachment disorder in children aged 8-12 years. Methods: Pre-test, post-test, and follow-up designs were used in this semi-experimental study. The statistical population included all Tehran youngsters aged 8 to 12 who had showed an interest in communicating via the internet. A total of 32 youngsters were chosen and assigned to one of two groups: experimental or control. The intervention was presented as theraplay weekly. Before and after the sessions, Randolph's attachment disorder questionnaire, Achenbach behavioral checker, and Wisconsin card classification test was completed and three months later the post-test was repeated. Data were analyzed using SPSS software using the mixed two-factor ANOVA method. Results: The results of data analysis confirmed the significant effect of the theraplay intervention method on symptoms of reactive attachment disorder (P<0.001). Conclusion: The usage of theraplay can be utilized as an effective treatment to alleviate the symptoms of reactive attachment disorder after a child's condition, according to the findings of this study.

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