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Volume 24, Issue 154 (12-2025)
Journal of Psychological Science 2025, 24(154): 79-97 |
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ALIABADIFARAHANI M, Yarmohamadi Vasel S, Mohagheghi H, Zoghi Paydar M. (2025). The Effect of Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy on Anxiety Symptoms in Children, with the Moderating Role of Cognitive Flexibility in 11-12-Years old. Journal of Psychological Science. 24(154), 79-97.
URL: http://psychologicalscience.ir/article-1-2835-en.html
URL: http://psychologicalscience.ir/article-1-2835-en.html
MASOMEH ALIABADIFARAHANI 
, Shahryar Yarmohamadi Vasel * , Hossein Mohagheghi , Mohammadreza Zoghi Paydar
, Shahryar Yarmohamadi Vasel * , Hossein Mohagheghi , Mohammadreza Zoghi Paydar
Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Economics and Socials Sciens, Bu- Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran , yarmohamadivasel@basu.ac.ir
Abstract: (115 Views)
Background: Separation anxiety disorder is one of the most common behavioral disorders in children, leading to disruptions in academic performance, social adjustment, family life, and peer relationships. Despite numerous studies investigating the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy on children's separation anxiety, there is a research gap regarding the moderating role of cognitive flexibility in this efficacy.
Aims:: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral play therapy on separtion anxiety in in children 11 to 11 years old, considering the moderating role of cognitive flexibility.
Methods: The method of this quasi-experimental study was a pre-test-post-test type with a control group and a three-month follow-up. The statistical population of the study included all children aged 11-12 with separation anxiety who had referred to specialized child and adolescent clinics in the west of Tehran (Gisha) in the 2023-2024 academic year. Among them, 110 were selected through a clinical interview with the mother using DSM-5 diagnostic symptoms and the separation anxiety assesment scale (parent version) (Hahn et al., 2003) through purposive sampling. Finally, 30 people with high cognitive flexibility and 30 people with low cognitive flexibility were selected and assigned to two experimental (30 people) and control (30 people) groups. To collect data, the separation anxiety assesment scale (parent version) (Hahn et al., 2003) and cognitive flexibility inventory (Dennis & Vander Wal, 2010) were used. To train the experimental group, the cognitive-behavioral therapy protocol for anxiety for children (Kendall & Hedtke, 2006) was used during 12 sessions, 45 minutes each. Also, univariate analysis of covariance and repeated measures analysis of variance and SPSS-26 software were used to analyze the data.
Results: The results of univariate analysis of covariance indicated a significant effect of the flexibility variable on the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral play therapy on improving clinical symptoms of separation anxiety in children (P< 0.05). The results of repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni test in the follow-up phase also showed that the effect size of the high-flexibility cogntive-behavioral play therapy group was significantly higher than the effect size of the low-flexbiity cognitive-behavioral play therapy group. Therefore, the moderating role of cognitive flexibility was confirmed.
Conclusion: According to the findings of the present study, cognitive-behavioral play therapy is effective in reducing symptoms of separation anxiety in children, but its effectiveness depends on the level of cognitive flexibility in children. Therefore, it is necessary to include games to increase cognitive flexibility in the treatment of children with separation anxiety disorder.
Aims:: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral play therapy on separtion anxiety in in children 11 to 11 years old, considering the moderating role of cognitive flexibility.
Methods: The method of this quasi-experimental study was a pre-test-post-test type with a control group and a three-month follow-up. The statistical population of the study included all children aged 11-12 with separation anxiety who had referred to specialized child and adolescent clinics in the west of Tehran (Gisha) in the 2023-2024 academic year. Among them, 110 were selected through a clinical interview with the mother using DSM-5 diagnostic symptoms and the separation anxiety assesment scale (parent version) (Hahn et al., 2003) through purposive sampling. Finally, 30 people with high cognitive flexibility and 30 people with low cognitive flexibility were selected and assigned to two experimental (30 people) and control (30 people) groups. To collect data, the separation anxiety assesment scale (parent version) (Hahn et al., 2003) and cognitive flexibility inventory (Dennis & Vander Wal, 2010) were used. To train the experimental group, the cognitive-behavioral therapy protocol for anxiety for children (Kendall & Hedtke, 2006) was used during 12 sessions, 45 minutes each. Also, univariate analysis of covariance and repeated measures analysis of variance and SPSS-26 software were used to analyze the data.
Results: The results of univariate analysis of covariance indicated a significant effect of the flexibility variable on the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral play therapy on improving clinical symptoms of separation anxiety in children (P< 0.05). The results of repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni test in the follow-up phase also showed that the effect size of the high-flexibility cogntive-behavioral play therapy group was significantly higher than the effect size of the low-flexbiity cognitive-behavioral play therapy group. Therefore, the moderating role of cognitive flexibility was confirmed.
Conclusion: According to the findings of the present study, cognitive-behavioral play therapy is effective in reducing symptoms of separation anxiety in children, but its effectiveness depends on the level of cognitive flexibility in children. Therefore, it is necessary to include games to increase cognitive flexibility in the treatment of children with separation anxiety disorder.
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This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)