The Effect of Play Therapy on Anxiety and Life Skills in Children: A Meta-Analysis Study

Year 2025, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 35 - 49, 28.03.2025

Esma Özmaya , Özlem Yılmaz Demirel

https://doi.org/10.59312/ebshealth.1630104

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the effect of play therapy on anxiety and life skills in children.
Material-method: The scans in the study were provided through the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, Web of Scıence, Science Direct, and YÖK Thesis Center databases from June-September 2023. As a result of the searches, 17 studies on anxiety and 5 studies on life skills were included.
Results: In this meta-analysis, it was determined that play therapy was highly effective on anxiety (SMD: 1.339, 95% CI: -1.745- 0.934; Z= 6.468, p = 0.000, I2= 75.22%) and life skills (SMD: 3.049, 95% CI: 1.614- 4.484; Z= 4.165, p = 0.000, I2= 88.81%). The studies showed a heterogeneous distribution, and there was no bias in the publication bias analysis.
Conclusion: Play therapy has very positive effects on anxiety and life skills in children and positively affects the mental health of individuals.

Keywords

play therapy, child, anxiety, life skills, meta-analysis

Oyun Terapisinin Çocuklarda Kaygı ve Yaşam Becerileri Üzerine Etkisi: Bir Meta Analiz Çalışması

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışma, çocuklarda uygulanan oyun terapisinin kaygı ve yaşam becerileri üzerine etkisini ortaya koymak amacı ile yapılmıştır.
Materyal-metod: Çalışmadaki taramalar Ekim-Aralık 2023’de Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, Web of Scıence, Science Direct ve YÖK Tez Merkezi veri tabanları üzerinden sağlanmıştır. Taramalar sonucunda araştırmaya kaygı ile ilgili 17 yaşam becerileri ile ilgili 5 çalışma dâhil edilmiştir.
Bulgular: Bu meta-analizde oyun terapisinin kaygı üzerinde (SMD: 1.339, %95 CI: -1.745- 0.934; Z= 6.468, p = 0.000, I2= %75.22) ve yaşam becerileri (SMD: 3.049, %95 CI: 1.614- 4.484; Z= 4.165, p = 0.000, I2= %88,81) üzerinde yüksek düzeyde etkin olduğu belirlenmiştir. Araştırmaların heterojen bir dağılım gösterdiği ve yapılan yayım yanlılığı analizlerinde yanlılığın olmadığı görülmüştür.
Sonuç: Oyun terapisi çocuklarda kaygı ve yaşam becerileri üzerinde oldukça olumlu etkiler yaratmakta ve bireylerin ruh sağlığını olumlu yönde etkilemektedir.

Keywords

oyun terapisi, çocuk, kaygı, yaşam becerileri, meta-analiz

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