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Comparing the effectiveness of child-centered play therapy and social skills training on alexithymia, social anxiety, and aggression in male students with oppositional defiant disorder
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Seyyed Saeed Torabi1    , Seyyed Mehdi Hosseini Mashhad Toroghi2 , Zahra Ghaysari3 , Shahrzad Rezaee Rezvan *4 |
1- Department of Psychology, Damghan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damghan. Iran
2- Shahrood Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrood, Iran
3- Department of Psychology and Counseling, Farhangian University, Birjand, Iran
4- Department of Psychology and Counseling, Farhangian University, Bojnord, Iran |
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Abstract: (245 Views) |
Background and Purpose: Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is one of the most prevalent childhood disorders and a common reason for referral to psychological services. It can lead to psychological and social maladjustment in the family, school, and broader community. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of child-centered play therapy and social skills training on alexithymia, social anxiety, and aggression among male students with ODD.
Method: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with two experimental groups and one control group. The statistical population consisted of male elementary school students (second shift) in Mashhad during the 2023–2024 academic year. Forty-five participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to three groups (15 students in each group). The instruments included the Child Symptom Inventory) CSI-4; Gadow & Sprafkin, 1997), the Children’s Aggression Scale) CHIA; Nelson & Finch, 2000), the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS; 1997), and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS; Bagby et al., 1994). The experimental groups received nine 60-minute sessions of child-centered play therapy and eight 60-minute sessions of social skills training, respectively, while the control group received routine educational activities. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) with SPSS-24.
Results: Child-centered play therapy was significantly more effective than social skills training in reducing alexithymia (F = 149.42, p < .05), social anxiety (F = 53.53, p < .05), and aggression (F = 129.97, p < .001).
Conclusion: Although both interventions were effective in reducing emotional and behavioral problems of students with ODD, child-centered play therapy demonstrated greater efficacy and therefore recommended for school-based counseling and intervention programs. |
Article number: 5 |
| Keywords: Aggression, Alexithymia, child-centered play therapy, oppositional defiant disorder, social anxiety, social skills |
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Full-Text [PDF 802 kb]
(94 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/05/4 | Accepted: 2026/04/28 | Published: 2026/04/28
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