Evaluation of the effect of play therapy on separation anxiety among preschool children

Preschool, that follows playing period, is a period during which children socialize a little more and carry out group and symbolic games commonly. One of the reason that postpones socialization of children among this age group is separation anxiety. Play therapy using playing effectively has a significant role in the resolution of this problem among these children. The aim of this study which was performed was to evaluate the effect of play therapy on separation anxiety among these children. This was an experimental study including pre test-post test control group. The universe of the study was composed of 292 preschool children of 3-5 years old who were studying in Kozlu Central Kindergarten and Kozlu Fatih Kindergarten. Sample size, that was calculated based on power analysis, included a total of 60 preschool children including 30 in experimental group and 30 in control group. Demographic information form, revised Preschool Anxiety Scale and The Separation Anxiety Scale for Preschool Children (teacher form) were used for data collection. When the change in total mean score of the preschool children from The Separation Anxiety Scale before and after the training was evaluated, it was observed that there was a higher decrease in the separation anxiety of the children in experimental group following training compared to the control group. The decreases in separation anxiety in both groups were found to be statistically significant (p<0.000). When total mean score from revised Preschool Anxiety Scale and the changes in subitems before and after the training were assessed, the decrease in separation anxiety that occurred among the children in experimental group following the training was found to be statistically significant (p<0.000). In control group, the decrease occurred following the training was not found to be statistically significant (p>0.05). In conclusion; it was determined that play therapy program, that was applied to preschool children studying in kindergarten, reduced separation anxiety substantially. Key Words: Preschool children, Separation anxiety, Game, Play therapy