Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy Efficacy in the Treatment of Gender Symptomatology of Anxiety Disorders among Children A Case of Selected Schools in Dagoretti Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Guided by Aaron Beck’s cognitive behavior theory and Susan Knell’s cognitive behavioral play therapy (CBPT), this study investigated the effect of CBPT on gender symptomatology of anxiety disorders (ADs) among children in two selected primary schools in Dagoretti Sub-County, Nairobi County. Both correlational and quasi-experimental study designs were utilized. The study used four questionnaires: the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), the Fear Survey Schedule for Children and Adolescents-Revised (FSSC-R), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and the Child Social Demographic Questionnaire (CSDQ). Respondents (n=163; n females =94) were derived from two public day primary schools in Dagoretti Sub-County, Nairobi County: Kawangware and Kabiria. Through purposive sampling, 28 children diagnosed with ADs from Kabiria Primary School were assigned to treatment, while 28 from Kawangware Primary School were assigned to the control group. The treatment arm received 12 sessions of CBPT. Data was collected again at mid line and end line for both arms and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 20. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson-Chi-square, the paired samples t-test, and the independent samples t-test were utilized in data analysis. Overall, the prevalence of ADs was 79.1%, where females had statistically significant higher means in ADs (p=0.004) and fears (p=0.008) than the males. All the respondents (100%) from the one-parent and no-parent family backgrounds and the sexual abuse categories had homotypic comorbidities. Both genders benefited from CBPT as per the independent t-test (p˃.05), though according to the samples t-test, females had greater symptom alleviation (p = 0.000). Based on the findings, gender sensitivity in assessments and intervention is recommended for children displaying ADs