The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of cognitive-behavior play therapy program on aggression of children in low-income single parent families. The research subjects are 6 children commissioned by a responsible social worker and a study...
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of cognitive-behavior play therapy program on aggression of children in low-income single parent families. The research subjects are 6 children commissioned by a responsible social worker and a study-room teacher due to a problem about aggression among children in low-income single parent families who use a study room after school at H Social Welfare Center within the permanent rental apartment housing complex in D city. The research problems include, first, does the cognitive-behavior play therapy program have influence upon sub-spheres(physical, verbal, and indirect aggression, negativity, irritability, hostility) for aggression of children in low-income single parent families? and second, does the cognitive-behavior play therapy program have influence upon aggressive behavior within session of children in low-income single parent families? As for program, the relaxation activity(20 minutes) was allowed to possibly increase participatory level in program and accept the best learning state with the physical play that solves physical and emotional tension and gives pleasure according to the group play therapy stage suggested by O'Connor(2000). The structured activity(45 minutes) was progressed the intervention strategy of exploring children's stress situation, emotion and thought by applying the cognitive behavior therapy, and was progressed ‘assertion training, self-instruction training, tension-relaxation training method, and anger-suppressing method’ with the intervention strategy, in order to solve a problem. The feedback in peers and researcher and the discussion process in exchanging mutual opinions were put, respectively, 5 minutes after the relaxation activity, and 10 minutes after the structured activity. The program was carried out over totally 10 sessions with 80 minutes per one session and twice a week. A change in aggression was measured and compared before․after․later with the aggression test. As for children's aggressive behavior(physical aggression, verbal aggression, indirect aggression, negativity, irritability, hostility) within session, the frequency of aggressive behavior was checked on the basis of the behavior observation list in a free-play situation. The results of this study are as follows. First, the cognitive-behavior play therapy program reduced aggression in the aggression test. It reduced all of physical aggression, verbal aggression, indirect aggression, negativity, irritability, and hostility, which are sub-spheres of aggression. Second, the cognitive-behavior play therapy program reduced frequency of children's aggressive behavior(physical aggression, verbal aggression, indirect aggression, negativity, irritability, and hostility) within session. Accordingly, this is a minor-case study, thereby having limitation in generalizing. However, the cognitive-behavior play therapy program can be known to be effective for reducing aggression of children in low-income single parent families.