The effect of Group Theraplay® on problematic behavior, self-regulation skills and parenting stress in preschool children affected by earthquake (Malatya case, 2023)

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Group Theraplay® on problematic behaviors, self-regulation skills, and parental stress in preschool children affected by the 2023 earthquake in Southeastern Turkey. The sample comprised 142 participants aged 4 to 6 years, with 71 children assigned to the intervention group and 71 to the control group. The intervention consisted of 12 Group Theraplay® sessions conducted twice a week. The Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS-2), the Self-Regulation Skills Scale for 4–6 Year Old Children, the Aggression Orientation Scale for 36–72 Month Old Children, and the Parental Stress Scale were used as data collection instruments. To test the study's hypotheses, both dependent sample t-tests and independent sample t-tests were conducted. The results revealed that Group Theraplay® interventions led to significant differences in the intervention group. Specifically, significant changes were observed in pre-test total scores of externalizing and self-centered problem behaviors, as well as overall problem behavior. In the post-test phase, significant improvements were also found in attention, inhibitory control-emotion, inhibitory control-behavior, and overall self-regulation skills scores. When the post-test scores of the experimental and control groups were compared, it was concluded that there was a significant difference between the inhibitory control-emotion, inhibitory control-behavior scores, self-regulation skills total scores and physical aggression towards others scores.