The Effect of Cognitive-Behavioral Play-Therapy on Electroencephalographic Patterns and Behavioral Symptoms in Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of cognitive-behavioral play-therapy on EEG pattern and behavioral symptoms of children with oppositional defiant disorder in Shiraz.

Methods: In this study, pre-test and post-test design with control group was used. The statistical population consisted of all 7 to 9 year old male children referring to counseling centers from May to September 2019 in Shiraz. Data were analyzed using available sampling method. 24 children were selected according to CBCL questionnaire criteria and diagnostic interview. Then, they were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Electroencephalography was recorded for both groups. The experimental group underwent 10 sessions of play-therapy. After the intervention sessions, electroencephalography recording from both experimental and control groups was again performed. Covariance analysis was used for data analysis.

Results: The results of multivariate analysis of covariance showed that after adjusting the post-test scores by eliminating the pre-test effect, there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of the severity of oppositional symptoms (P <0.001, F = 82.325). Furthermore, the results show that after adjusting the post-test scores by eliminating the pre-test effect, there is a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of oppositional symptoms (P <0.001, F = 27.231). In other words, cognitive-behavioral play therapy can reduce the oppositional symptoms in the experimental group.

Conclusion: The results of the statistical analysis of the data showed that cognitive-behavioral play-therapy modulated the pattern of electroencephalography and reduced the behavioral symptoms in children with oppositional defiant disorder.