The effectiveness of group play therapy on social acceptance and hope in children with cancer

Abstract

Aim: The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of group play therapy to improve social acceptance and hope for children with cancer. Method: This study was experimental and population was 10-8-years-old children with cancer in the Sydalshohada hospital of Isfahan. 30 patients were selected for sampling and randomly divided into two groups, test group (n = 15) and control group (n = 15). Subjects Participated in 10 sessions of play therapy and 1-month follow-up after completing the research tools, social acceptance of children scale (Ford and Rubin, 1970) and Snyder hope of children scale (Snyder et al., 1997). Result: The results showed that play therapy training significantly increased the rate of social acceptance (P=0.009, F=7.71) and hope (P=0.005, F=9.53) and these results were stable in the follow-up phase. Conclusion: the results proved that we can use play therapy in improving social acceptance and hope for children with cancer.