Group Theraplay practice with 4-6 years old children in earthquake zone: Parent-child relationship and its effect on the child's social skills and behaviors

In this study conducted with earthquake-affected children aged 48–72 months, the effects of Group Theraplay play therapy on children's parent-child relationship, social skills, and behaviors were examined using quantitative methods. The study was carried out with 137 children (Intervention: 64, Control: 73) residing in containers in Malatya one of the provinces affected by the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, and officially declared a disaster zone. Data were collected from the children's mothers before and after the intervention using printed forms, including the Informed Consent Form, Socio-Demographic Information Form, Parent-Child Relationship Scale, Preschool Social Skills Assessment Scale (OSBED) Parent Form, and the 4–6 Years Social Behavior Scale. A quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control groups was employed. The intervention group received 12 sessions of Group Theraplay over six weeks, while no intervention was applied to the control group during this period. The hypotheses of the study were tested using dependent and independent samples T-tests and mixed-design ANOVA. The results revealed that the Group Theraplay intervention had a positive impact on the social skills of children in the intervention group. Dependent samples T-test results showed statistically significant improvements in the subdimensions of social skills, specifically in initiating interaction (t(63)=-2,25, p<,05) and academic support skills (t(63)=-2,26, p<,05). In addition, the overall social skills of the children in the intervention group improved significantly (t(63)=-3,05, p<,01). However, independent samples T-test results indicated no statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups. Mixed-design ANOVA results showed significant time effects for the variables of positive parent-child relationship (F(1,135)=4,25, p<,05, η²=,03), academic support (F(1,135)=6,29, p<,05, η²=,04), emotion regulation (F(1,135)=14,21, p<,001, η²=,10), OSBED (F(1,135)=11,79, p<,001, η²=,08), and aggression (F(1,135)=5,07, p<,05, η²=,04), and a significant group effect for cooperation (F(1,135)=6,28, p<,05, η²=,04). The absence of significant time × group interaction effects indicated that the intervention effect did not differ across groups over time. In conclusion, the Group Theraplay intervention positively influenced children's social skills, although this effect did not significantly differ between groups over time. The study is expected to contribute to the development of post-disaster intervention programs targeting early childhood. Findings were discussed in light of the existing literature. Keywords: Earthquake, Group Theraplay, Parent-Child Relationship, Social Skills, Social Behavior