Exploring the impact of child-centered play therapy for children exhibiting behavioral problems: A meta-analysis.

Abstract

The authors conducted a meta-analysis exploring the effectiveness of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) approaches with children referred for disruptive behaviors across 23 between group studies (N = 908). Separate meta-analytic procedures were conducted for studies that implemented wait-list/no treatment and alternative treatment comparisons to estimate the aggregated treatment effect of CCPT approaches. Results revealed medium Hedges's g effect sizes for externalizing and overall problem behaviors compared to alternative treatment and waitlist controls, and small Hedges's g effect sizes for aggressive behaviors. The authors explore the impact of CCPT on behavioral disruptions, implications for therapists, and ways in which therapists can utilize play therapy to meet the increasing rates of childhood behavioral disorders.

Interventions for Young Children’s Mental Health: A Review of Reviews

“…One moderate quality meta-analysis (Parker et al, 2021a , b ) found that child-centered play therapy led to reductions in externalizing and overall problem behaviors with medium effects. There were also reductions in aggressive behaviors, with small effects.…”

“…Publication bias: not ascertained; Magnitude of effect similar across studies. Follow-up times in studies typically about 1 year – longer term follow up was rare Losel and Beelmann ( 2003 ) High Risk of bias: low due to RCTs; Precision: overall, small to moderate effect sizes observed; Consistent findings reported across studies; CBT Interventions directly related to outcome of interests; Publication bias: not ascertained; Magnitude of effect: Mostly medium; Dose response: N/A; Findings on confounder (age) increases GRADE Maughan et al, ( 2005 ) Moderate Risk of bias: Some risk of bias, including RCTs and non-RCT with variability in study quality; Precision: Overall moderate to large effect sizes observed, effect size varied by study quality; Interventions directly related to pop of interest; Publication bias: not ascertained; Mostly moderate magnitude of effect; Dose–response: N/A; Menting et al, ( 2013 ) Moderate Risk of bias: Low risk of bias due to mostly RCTs; Precision: Small effect sizes observed; Consistent findings reported across studies; IY Interventions directly related to outcome of interests; Publication bias: not ascertained; Magnitude of effect: Mostly weak; Dose response: N/A Mingebach et al, ( 2018 ) Moderate Risk of bias: overall risk of bias rated as satisfactory in the paper, consists of meta-analyses; Precision: Moderate effect sizes observed, with risk of bias analyses within paper suggesting robust results; Consistent findings reported across studies; Parenting-based interventions directly related to pop of interest; Publication bias: risk of bias analyses from funnel plots and fail-safe Ns suggest some but small publication bias; Magnitude of effect: Moderate; Dose–response: N/A Nogueira et al, ( 2022 ) Moderate Risk of bias: low risk of bias due to all RCTS, but some studies did not report randomization/blinding; Precision: small effect sizes (secondary outcomes) and moderate effect sizes (all GTP targeted outcomes); Interventions related to outcome; Publication bias: not ascertained; Magnitude of effect: mostly moderate; Dose response: N/A Nye ( 2019 ) High Risk of bias: low due to RCTs; Precision: Moderate effect sizes observed; Consistent findings reported across studies; Intervention directly related to outcome of interest; Publication bias: not ascertained due to small number of studies; Magnitude of effect: Medium; Dose response: N/A Parker et al, ( 2021a , 2021b ) …”

Explaining child-centered play therapy through a cognitive–behavioral lens to increase caregiver buy-in.

“…Ray et al (2015) conducted a meta-analysis specific to CCPT in elementary schools, analyzing 23 studies from 1970 to 2011 and finding significant small to medium effect sizes that are similar to or greater than those of other studies of psychological interventions in schools. Most recently, Parker et al (2021) conducted a meta-analysis specific to children referred for disruptive or externalizing behaviors, analyzing 23 CCPT studies from 1999 to 2018, finding medium effect sizes that are similar to the effect sizes evidenced in Battagliese et al's (2015) meta-analysis of CBT for externalizing disorders, though the latter was not a play therapy meta-analysis.…”

The multicultural play therapy room: Intentional decision making in selecting play therapy toys and materials.

“…Synthesis of multiple meta-analyses indicated CCPT is an effective intervention in clinical and school settings, for children coming from both dominant and minoritized cultures (Bratton et al, 2005; Y. Lin & Bratton, 2015; Parker et al, 2021; Ray et al, 2015). A growing number of empirical studies further support the efficacy of CCPT with children across ethnicities, gender, and ability levels (e.g., Garza & Bratton, 2005; Lin & Bratton, 2015; Ogawa, 2007; Schottelkorb et al, 2020; Taylor & Ray, 2021).…”