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Meta-analysis of psychological interventions on reducing symptoms of separation anxiety disorder in Iranian children
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Fatemeh Bita1    , Farideh Sadat Hossieni *2 |
1- Faculty of Humanities, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran
2- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran |
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Abstract: (209 Views) |
Background and Purpose: Separation anxiety disorder is one of the most common psychological disorders in childhood. Due to its high prevalence and significant impact on children’s functioning, addressing this disorder is of critical importance. However, the effectiveness of various psychological interventions for children with separation anxiety disorder is still unclear. Therefore, the present study aimed to meta-analytically examine existing psychological interventions designed to reduce symptoms of separation anxiety disorder in Iranian children.
Method: This study employed a meta-analytic research design. The statistical population consisted of all Iranian studies on psychological interventions for separation anxiety disorder published between 2008 and 2013. Relevant articles were retrieved from national databases, including SID, Magiran, IranDoc, Civilica, RICEST, Noor Mags, and Ensani.ir. Based on the inclusion criteria and using a standardized data extraction checklist, 48 studies were selected for analysis. Statistical analyses were conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (CMA, version 3).
Results: The findings showed that psychological interventions proved a substantial overall effect on childhood separation anxiety disorder. The mean effect size for psychological treatments was 1.29. Among the interventions, cognitive-behavioral therapies showed the highest effectiveness, with an effect size of 1.96. Furthermore, child–parent interventions yielded a higher average effect size compared to child-only or parent-only interventions.
Conclusion: The results support the effectiveness of psychological interventions, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy, in reducing symptoms of separation anxiety disorder in children. These findings suggest that psychological treatments may be applied either independently or in combination to treat this disorder. It is recommended that the choice of treatment and intervention programs consider multiple factors, including treatment effectiveness, patient age, comorbid disorders, family circumstances, psychological and social competencies of the child, costs, and patient preferences, to maximize therapeutic efficacy. |
Article number: 5 |
| Keywords: Child, meta-analysis, psychological treatments, separation anxiety |
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Full-Text [PDF 1964 kb]
(28 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2024/12/31 | Accepted: 2025/12/17 | Published: 2025/12/24
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