Bringing it all together! When researchers look at the whole of play therapy research, what are they finding? This page is dedicated to statistical and critical reviews of play therapy research conducted most recently.
Meta-analyses offer a research solution to summarizing multiple studies that examine outcomes of research studies with small numbers of participants, a typical characteristic of most intervention research studies. Meta-analyses require statistical analysis and synthesis of multiple smaller studies to increase statistical power that provides credible interpretation of outcomes.
Play Therapy with Children Exhibiting Disruptive Behaviors
Parker et al. (2021)
Parker et al. (2021) conducted a meta-analysis of 23 Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) studies conducted from 1999 to 2018 including 904 children who were referred for disruptive behaviors. They reported statistically significant improvement with a moderate effect size (.48) for overall behavioral problems in comparison to peers in waitlist or alternative treatment groups. The median age for Parker et al.’s sample of children was 6.0 years indicating the effectiveness of CCPT with young children.
Check out the article for more details:
Parker, M. M., Hunnicutt Hollenbaugh, K. M., & Kelly, C. T. (2021). Exploring the impact of child-centered play therapy for children exhibiting behavioral problems: A meta- analysis. International Journal of Play Therapy, 30(4), 259–271. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000128
Play Therapy with Children Across Presenting Issues and Settings
Lin & Bratton (2015)
Examining 52 Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) studies conducted from 1995 to 2010, Lin and Bratton reported CCPT to demonstrate a statistically significant positive improvement with a moderate treatment effect (.47) on outcomes including problem behaviors, relationship stress, self-efficacy, and academic performance. The mean age of children represented in their meta- analysis was 6.7 years indicating that play therapy is unique in demonstrating effects with young children. Additionally, Lin and Bratton found CCPT to have an even higher effect size for children of color (.76).
Check out the article for more details:
Lin, Y., Bratton, S. C. (2015). A meta-analytic review of child-centered play therapy approaches. Journal of Counseling and Development, 93(1), 45-58. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.2015.00180.x
Play Therapy with Children in Elementary Schools
Ray et al. (2015)
Ray et al. (2015) found statistically significant improvement for children who participated in Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) in school settings. Their meta-analysis reviewed 23 randomized controlled trials including a diverse sample of 1106 children who participated in a mean of 12 sessions. When compared to control conditions, children participating in CCPT performed at 0.38 standard deviations over their peers. When compared to alternative interventions, children participating in CCPT performed 0.20 standard deviations over their peers. The authors highlighted the low number of mean sessions and the diversity of the participants included in play therapy studies.
Check out the article for more details:
Ray, D. C., Armstrong, S. A., Balkin, R. S., & Jayne, K. M. (2015). Child-centered play therapy in the schools: Review and meta-analysis. Psychology in the Schools, 52(2), 107-123. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21798
Play Therapy with Children Across Presenting Issues and Settings
Pester et al. (2019)
Pester et al. (2019) conducted a meta-analysis of 11 CCPT single case studies representing 43 children ranging from three to ten years old. They reported statistically significant improvement with moderate effect sizes of .43 for externalizing problem behaviors, .51 for internalizing problems, and .33 for social skills. Pester et al. highlighted the mean number of sessions was 8, showing CCPT to be a short-term effective intervention.
Check out the article for more details:
Pester, D., Lenz, A. S., & Dell’Aquila, J. (2019). Meta-analysis of single-case evaluations of child-centered play therapy for treating mental health symptoms. International Journal of Play Therapy, 28(3), 144–156. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000098
A systematic review is review of relevant literature on a particular scientific topic that involves planned and well-defined methods of identifying, evaluating, and summarizing evidence. Systematic reviews of interventions typically involve the critical examination of research literature on the outcomes and methods of intervention research.
Play Therapy with Children Across Presenting Issues and Settings
Drisko et al. (2020)
Drisko et al. (2020) reviewed the effectiveness of individual play therapy across 17 studies. Drisko et al. concluded that effect sizes from individual play therapy studies indicated play therapy as effective and meeting criteria of American Psychological Association as an empirically supported therapy. Most studies reported effect sizes between .35 and .80 across multiple presenting issues including aggression, attention, anxiety, and externalizing problems. Drisko et al. used the general term of play therapy yet 14 of the 17 studies reviewed were aligned with the Child-Centered Play Therapy approach.
Check out the article for more details:
Drisko, J., Corvino, P., Kelly, L., & Nielson, J. (2020). Is individual child play therapy effective? Research on Social Work Practice, 30(7), 715–723. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731519854157
Play Therapy with Children Across Presenting Issues and Settings
Money et al. (2021)
Money et al. (2021) conducted a systematic review of individual Theraplay studies for children with multiple presenting issues and under the age of 12 years old. Money et al. found promising results for Theraplay outcomes with children who exhibited for externalizing, internalizing, dual diagnosis, and developmental disabilities. However, authors were cautious in their conclusions due to low number of studies identified (N = 6) and the limited quality of the studies.
Check out the article for more details:
Money, R., Wilde, S., & Dawson, D. (2021). Review: The effectiveness of Theraplay for children under 12 — a systematic literature review. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 26(3), 238–251. https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12416
