Volume 32, Issue 1 (3-2025)
RJMS 2025, 32(1): 1-10 |
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Research code: A-10-7975-1
Ethics code: نویسنده متعد می ود تا قبل از چاپ نهایی کد اخلاق را تحویل
Clinical trials code: 1234
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Hoseini S, Navabakhsh M, Nikbakhsh R. Examining the Impact of Play Therapy on the Socialization of Street and Working Children. RJMS 2025; 32 (1) :1-10
URL: http://rjms.iums.ac.ir/article-1-8512-en.html
URL: http://rjms.iums.ac.ir/article-1-8512-en.html
1- PhD Student, Department of sport sociology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Science, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2- Professor, Department of Sociology, Science & Research Branch Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran ,navabakhsh@Srbiau.ac.ir
3- Associate Professor, Department of sport Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Science, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2- Professor, Department of Sociology, Science & Research Branch Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran ,
3- Associate Professor, Department of sport Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Science, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: (1863 Views)
Background & Aims: Play is a fundamental and natural part of childhood and plays a vital role in children’s physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development. Through play, children learn to communicate, cooperate, express feelings, and adapt to group settings. For vulnerable children, especially working and street children, opportunities for healthy social interaction are often limited by difficult life conditions such as poverty, family instability, neglect, social exclusion, and exposure to psychological stress. These children frequently experience rejection by peers and adults, reduced self-esteem, emotional insecurity, behavioral problems, and weak school performance. Such challenges can impair their ability to develop social competence and healthy interpersonal relationships.
Working and street children are among the most socially and psychologically at-risk groups in urban communities. Their daily lives often involve hardship, insecurity, and reduced access to developmental resources that are commonly available to other children. Because of these conditions, interventions that are practical, low-cost, non-pharmacological, and developmentally appropriate are especially important. Play therapy has been introduced as one of the most effective child-centered approaches for improving psychological well-being and social functioning. It provides a safe and meaningful context in which children can express emotions, experience acceptance, learn social rules, and develop adaptive behaviors. Previous studies have also suggested that play-based and sport-related interventions may help reduce emotional difficulties and improve perceptual-motor and social outcomes in children. However, research specifically focused on the socialization of working and street children remains limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the effect of play therapy on the socialization of working and street children in District 12 of Tehran.
The main objective of this study was to determine whether a structured play therapy program could significantly improve the socialization of working and street children compared with a control group that did not receive the intervention.
Methods: This research used a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest format and a control group. The statistical population consisted of working and street children living in District 12 of Tehran. Participants were selected from two child support centers using an available sampling method. The final sample included 40 girls between 8 and 11 years of age. Children who did not meet the required socialization criteria were excluded before final group allocation. After selection, participants were randomly assigned into two equal groups: an experimental group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20).
Demographic information was collected using a background questionnaire. Socialization was measured with the 17-item Ford and Robin Social Acceptance Questionnaire (1970), revised by Samouei and colleagues in 2005. The questionnaire was used to assess the children’s level of social acceptance and socialization. The reliability of the instrument in this study was acceptable, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.73.
The experimental group participated in a play therapy program for eight weeks. Sessions were held twice per week, and each session lasted 45 minutes. During this period, the control group continued its routine daily activities and received no structured play therapy intervention. Both groups completed the socialization questionnaire before the intervention (pretest) and again after the intervention (posttest).
Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic characteristics and mean socialization scores. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to examine the normality of data distribution. Independent samples t-tests were then used to compare the groups at pretest and posttest.
Results: The descriptive findings showed only a slight change in the control group’s mean socialization score from pretest to posttest. The control group had a mean pretest score of 17.04, which increased marginally to 17.84 at posttest. In contrast, the experimental group demonstrated a much larger improvement. The mean socialization score in the play therapy group increased from 17.60 at pretest to 24.24 at posttest.
Before conducting between-group comparisons, the normality of data was confirmed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, indicating that the distribution of variables was normal and suitable for parametric analysis. The independent samples t-test comparing pretest scores revealed no statistically significant difference between the two groups before the intervention (p = 0.63). This result suggests that the experimental and control groups were comparable in terms of baseline socialization.
However, the posttest comparison showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.0001). This difference favored the experimental group, indicating that children who participated in the play therapy program achieved substantially higher socialization scores than those in the control group. The size and direction of the change suggest that play therapy had a meaningful positive effect on the children’s social development and social acceptance.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that play therapy is an effective intervention for improving the socialization of working and street children. The increase in posttest scores among children in the experimental group suggests that structured play experiences can help children develop social skills, interact more effectively with others, and become more socially accepted. These findings are consistent with earlier research showing that play and physical activity can enhance social competence and reduce psychological and behavioral problems in vulnerable children.
This study demonstrates that play therapy significantly improves the socialization of working and street children. Given its low cost, minimal side effects, and practical applicability, play therapy may serve as a valuable supportive and therapeutic strategy for vulnerable children, especially in care centers and community-based institutions. The results support the integration of structured play and sport programs into services designed for working and street children.
Working and street children are among the most socially and psychologically at-risk groups in urban communities. Their daily lives often involve hardship, insecurity, and reduced access to developmental resources that are commonly available to other children. Because of these conditions, interventions that are practical, low-cost, non-pharmacological, and developmentally appropriate are especially important. Play therapy has been introduced as one of the most effective child-centered approaches for improving psychological well-being and social functioning. It provides a safe and meaningful context in which children can express emotions, experience acceptance, learn social rules, and develop adaptive behaviors. Previous studies have also suggested that play-based and sport-related interventions may help reduce emotional difficulties and improve perceptual-motor and social outcomes in children. However, research specifically focused on the socialization of working and street children remains limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the effect of play therapy on the socialization of working and street children in District 12 of Tehran.
The main objective of this study was to determine whether a structured play therapy program could significantly improve the socialization of working and street children compared with a control group that did not receive the intervention.
Methods: This research used a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest format and a control group. The statistical population consisted of working and street children living in District 12 of Tehran. Participants were selected from two child support centers using an available sampling method. The final sample included 40 girls between 8 and 11 years of age. Children who did not meet the required socialization criteria were excluded before final group allocation. After selection, participants were randomly assigned into two equal groups: an experimental group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20).
Demographic information was collected using a background questionnaire. Socialization was measured with the 17-item Ford and Robin Social Acceptance Questionnaire (1970), revised by Samouei and colleagues in 2005. The questionnaire was used to assess the children’s level of social acceptance and socialization. The reliability of the instrument in this study was acceptable, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.73.
The experimental group participated in a play therapy program for eight weeks. Sessions were held twice per week, and each session lasted 45 minutes. During this period, the control group continued its routine daily activities and received no structured play therapy intervention. Both groups completed the socialization questionnaire before the intervention (pretest) and again after the intervention (posttest).
Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic characteristics and mean socialization scores. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to examine the normality of data distribution. Independent samples t-tests were then used to compare the groups at pretest and posttest.
Results: The descriptive findings showed only a slight change in the control group’s mean socialization score from pretest to posttest. The control group had a mean pretest score of 17.04, which increased marginally to 17.84 at posttest. In contrast, the experimental group demonstrated a much larger improvement. The mean socialization score in the play therapy group increased from 17.60 at pretest to 24.24 at posttest.
Before conducting between-group comparisons, the normality of data was confirmed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, indicating that the distribution of variables was normal and suitable for parametric analysis. The independent samples t-test comparing pretest scores revealed no statistically significant difference between the two groups before the intervention (p = 0.63). This result suggests that the experimental and control groups were comparable in terms of baseline socialization.
However, the posttest comparison showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.0001). This difference favored the experimental group, indicating that children who participated in the play therapy program achieved substantially higher socialization scores than those in the control group. The size and direction of the change suggest that play therapy had a meaningful positive effect on the children’s social development and social acceptance.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that play therapy is an effective intervention for improving the socialization of working and street children. The increase in posttest scores among children in the experimental group suggests that structured play experiences can help children develop social skills, interact more effectively with others, and become more socially accepted. These findings are consistent with earlier research showing that play and physical activity can enhance social competence and reduce psychological and behavioral problems in vulnerable children.
This study demonstrates that play therapy significantly improves the socialization of working and street children. Given its low cost, minimal side effects, and practical applicability, play therapy may serve as a valuable supportive and therapeutic strategy for vulnerable children, especially in care centers and community-based institutions. The results support the integration of structured play and sport programs into services designed for working and street children.
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Clinical Psychiatry
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