Effectiveness of Play Therapy Based on Cognitive Behavior Therapy on Physical Relational and Verbal Aggression of Preschool Children

Aggression is overt, often harmful, social interaction with the intention of inflicting damage or other unpleasantness upon another individual. The present study was conducted with the purpose of studying the effectiveness of play therapy based on cognitive behavioral therapy on physical, relational and verbal aggression of preschool children. Method: The research type was experimental with pre-posttest design. Population was all children who were accepted in a counseling center Kermanshah City. 20 mothers of children were assessed with Shahin aggression test and then assigned into 2 groups (experimental and control) randomly. 2 groups were diagnosed with aggression and also matching conducted based on inclusion-exclusion criteria. 8 sessions of cognitive behavior play therapy were conducted for experimental group. The data were analyzed through multiple analysis of covariance using the SPSS-22 statistical software. Results: Research findings showed that there is a significant difference between experimental and control groups in physical aggression. Moreover, the findings indicated that cognitive behavior paly therapy is effective on reducing relational and verbal aggression in preschool children. Conclusion: The application of cognitive behavior play therapy is effective on reducing physical, relational and verbal aggression in these children. It could be concluded that Considering the capabilities of CBT, its application in children's behavioral problems, including aggression, is effective.