Impact of Child-Centered Play Therapy and Child-Parent Relationship Therapy on Internalizing Behaviors in Children: A Meta-Analysis

The present meta-analytic study examined the overall effectiveness of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) and child-parent relationship therapy (CPRT) for children experiencing internalizing problems. After conducting a comprehensive literature search and review, 25 studies published between 2000 and 2023 met the following inclusion criteria: (a) published and peer-reviewed; (b) used CCPT or CPRT as an intervention; (c) participants were ages 3 to 13 or parents of children ages 3 to 13; (d) study outcomes related to children's internalizing problems, such as anxiety, depression, or withdrawal; (e) used single group within study or between study design, including randomized controlled trials and non-randomized controlled trials; (f) published between January 2000 and April 2023; (g) published in English; (h) used standardized measurements; and (i) reported effect sizes, or means and standard deviations, or the author disclosed the means and standard deviations upon request. Final analysis included 28 individual effect sizes using a random effects model to determine the overall effect size for 6 analyses that included CCPT/CPRT combined between, CCPT/CPRT combined within, CCPT between, CCPT within, CPRT between, CPRT within. Moderating variables included gender, age, ethnicity, and number of CCPT sessions. CCPT and CPRT effect sizes were statistically significant and ranged from small to large effects. Results support the use of CCPT and CPRT with children for the reduction of internalizing problems. Procedures and results, including the coding process, limitations, and implications are discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]