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Review: The effectiveness of Theraplay for children under 12 – a systematic literature review

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Review: The effectiveness of Theraplay for children under 12 – a systematic literature review

Authors & Publication Information:

Money, R., Wilde, S., & Dawson, D. (2021). 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

Findings

Only six eligible articles were identified, meaning there was a lack of rigorous evidence eligible to offer conclusions into Theraplay’s effectiveness. The review highlighted the small evidence base, mixed-quality research methodology, and high levels of heterogeneity in how Theraplay is practiced and evaluated. Of the eligible studies, Theraplay was found promising in its effectiveness when used with internalizing and externalizing difficulties, dual diagnoses, and developmental disabilities.

Sample Characteristics

7 outcome treatment studies

  • N = 309 children across all studies
  • Avg Age Range: 4.1-10.34 yrs

Ethnicity

  • Authors of this article did not report details of all studies

Sex

  • 63% male, 37% female
Study Characteristics

Avg: 8 and 19 sessions

Measurements

The six studies in this systematic review utilized a variety of instruments.