Investigating the Effectiveness of Geldard Group Play Therapy on Depression in 6 to 9-Year-Old Children with a History of Bereavement

Rafiezadeh , Hamed; Saeidmanesh , Mohsen

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Rafiezadeh H, Saeidmanesh M. Investigating the Effectiveness of Geldard Group Play Therapy on Depression in 6 to 9-Year-Old Children with a History of Bereavement. MEJDS 2025; 15 (0) :39-39
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-3375-en.html

Investigating the Effectiveness of Geldard Group Play Therapy on Depression in 6 to 9-Year-Old Children with a History of Bereavement

Hamed Rafiezadeh¹

, Mohsen Saeidmanesh ^*²

1- Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology, Science and Arts University, Yazd, Iran
2- Associate Professor, Science and Arts University, Yazd, Iran

Abstract: (557 Views)

Abstract
Background & Objectives: Bereavement is one of the most traumatic events in life. Grief is a normal, but complex and multidimensional process of responding to loss. The severity of mourning after the death of loved ones is influenced by various factors such as age, gender, cause of death, unexpectedness, and expected time of mourning. In situations of first–degree relative bereavement, the severity of bereavement symptoms usually subsides within 6 to 12 months, and may sometimes last as long as 24 months. Bereaved children typically suffer from depression, and the problems of these people usually afflict them in adulthood if they are not treated. Studies on bereaved children are rare in Iran, and it seems very necessary to deal with the psychological problems of these children during their childhood. Also, until today, no study has investigated the effectiveness of Geldrad group play therapy on depression in children with a history of bereavement. Therefore, in this research, we seek to examine the efficacy of Geldrad group play therapy on depression in 6 to 9–year–old children with a history of bereavement.
Methods: This quasi–experimental research employed a pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of children with a history of bereavement aged 6 to 9 years in Yazd City, Iran, who referred to psychology and counseling clinics in Yazd. Thirty eligible volunteers from the population entered the study, and 15 were randomly assigned to the intervention group and 15 to the control group. The inclusion criteria for children in the study included having a history of parental bereavement, being between 6 and 9 years old, and not using other treatment methods such as medication and psychotherapy. The exclusion criteria included missing a play therapy session and failing to complete the questionnaire during the study. The scores of the depression variable were compared using the Children's Depression Inventory (Kovacs, 1985) before and after the treatment. The initial assessment of the patient was conducted on the first day and lasted 1.5 hours. Information such as family history and previous treatments was also recorded in the patient's file. The treatment protocol used in the present study consisted of eight 90–minute sessions of Geldard group play therapy for each patient, inspired by the Guide to Consulting Children with Play Therapy by Catherine Geldard and David Geldard. SPSS software version 17 was used for data analysis. In the descriptive statistics section, the mean and standard deviation of the variable scores were extracted. In the inferential statistics section, data analysis was performed using the analysis of covariance. The significance level of the tests was set at 0.05.
Results: The analysis of covariance, adjusted for the pretest effect, showed a significant difference in the mean of the depression variable between the intervention group receiving play therapy and the control group in the posttest (p<0.001). Also, based on the results related to the effect size, 65% of the difference between the intervention group and the control group in the depression variable was due to the implementation of group play therapy.
Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that the Geldard group play therapy has a significant effect on depression in children with a history of bereavement and leads to improvement in depression in these children. Geldard group play therapy can be used as a complementary therapy to improve depression in children with a history of bereavement.

Keywords: Geldard group play therapy, Depression, Children with a history of bereavement

Full-Text [PDF 232 kb] (157 Downloads)

Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Psychology

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