The effect of theraplay play therapy on early positive social behavior and temperament in babies and children

This study examined the short-term effects of Theraplay play therapy on early positive social behavior and temperament in infants and children. The sample consisted of a total of 30 caregiver-child pairs, with children aged between 18-34 months. Over the course of 8 weeks, a total of 8 sessions of Theraplay group therapy were administered, with one session per week for the infants and children. The Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire, designed for children aged 18-36 months, was used as the data collection tool. In the evaluation of the data, the pre-test scores of the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire for the children in the experimental and control groups were first compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Then, the differences between the pre-test and post-test scores within the experimental and control groups were tested using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. Finally, the post-test scores of the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire for the children in the experimental and control groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. The Theraplay intervention, an attachment-based play therapy conducted over 8 weeks, was found to positively contribute to the behavioral and emotional development of children in early childhood. Evaluations within the study group revealed significant reductions in negative temperament traits such as fear, frustration, sadness, and shyness after the therapy. Furthermore, the Theraplay intervention was shown to improve children's attention processes, increase their focusing abilities, enhance hugging behaviors, and lead to improvements in emotional expressions and behaviors requiring physical contact.