Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy on Emotion Management Skills and Assertiveness in Elementary School Girls

https://doi.org/10.61838/ijbmc.v12i4.920
Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy Emotion Regulation Assertiveness Child Psychology School-Based Intervention

Authors

  • Fateme Falah Bahramiyan M.A. General Psychology, Department of Psychology, Ayandegan Institute of Higher Education, Tonekabon, Iran. , Iran, Islamic Republic of
  • Elaheh Sadeghi
    elahehsadeghi49@yahoo.com
    Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Ayandegan Institute of Higher Education, Tonekabon, Iran., Iran, Islamic Republic of
Vol. 12 No. 4 (2025): July
Quantitative Study(ies)
February 25, 2025
May 11, 2025

Objective: Emotion regulation and assertiveness are crucial psychological and social skills for children's development. Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT) integrates cognitive-behavioral principles with play-based interventions to enhance these competencies. However, research on its effectiveness among elementary school girls remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of CBPT in improving emotion regulation and assertiveness in elementary school girls.

Methods and Materials: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was used. The statistical population included elementary school girls in Qods City during the 2024–2025 academic year. Thirty students with low scores in emotion regulation and assertiveness were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental (n=15) and a control (n=15) group. The experimental group participated in ten 90-minute CBPT sessions over five weeks. Data were collected using the Children’s Emotion Management Scale (Zeman et al., 2001) and the Gambrill & Richey Assertiveness Questionnaire (1975). Data analysis was conducted using MANCOVA and ANCOVA.

Findings: A significant improvement was observed in emotion regulation (F=136.495, P<0.001, η²=0.840) and assertiveness (F=78.832, P<0.001, η²=0.752) in the experimental group compared to the control group.

Conclusion: CBPT effectively enhances emotion regulation and assertiveness in elementary school girls. These findings suggest integrating CBPT into school-based psychological programs to support children’s emotional and social development.