A comparative study on the effectiveness of play therapy and story therapy on depression and anxiety skills in children with leukemia

Background: Cancers are the most important cause of death from diseases and children with leukemia have poor social skills and are very aggressive. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effects of play therapy and story therapy on social skills and aggression in children with leukemia.Methods: This study was quasi-experimental with pre-test, post-test, and three-month follow-up. The statistical population included all children with leukemia referred to Mahak Center in ۲۰۱۹. ۴۵ children were selected and equally divided into one control and two experimental groups. The follow-up stage was performed on all groups three months after the post-test. The research instruments included Aggression Children Questionnaire and Social Skills Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA.Results: Compared to the control group, both treatments had a significant effect on social skills and aggression in leukemia children (p<۰.۰۵). Also, play therapy had a greater impact on social skills and aggression than story therapy (p<۰.۰۵).Conclusions: The effectiveness of play therapy on social skills and aggression in leukemia children was more than story therapy, so play therapy is recommended for children.