The Effects of Mother-Child Group Therapy Programs on the Stress Levels of Mother and Children

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a mother-child group therapy play program on the stress levels of both mothers and children. To this end, a total of 9 pairs of younger elementary school children and their mothers from S City participated in the program from September 20, 2023 to January 17, 2024. SPSS 28.0 was used to perform frequency analysis, paired-sample t-test, non-parametric statistical test (Wilcoxon signed ranks test), and Pearson’s correlation analysis on the collected data. The results were as follows: First, although the children showed relatively lower stress levels in the posttest, this difference was statistically insignificant. Second, the mothers also exhibited lower stress levels in the posttest, but this difference was similarly insignificant. Third, a significantly positive correlation was found between the mothers’ stress levels and the children’s stress in relation to teachers and school. Fourth, the focus group interview at the end of the group therapy play program revealed positive changes in stress relief for both mothers and children. These results suggest that while the mother-child group therapy play program did not yield statistically significant reduction in stress, the qualitative feedback indicated positive changes. This study is also notable for implementing mother-child group therapy play in a community setting and conducting a qualitative assessment of the mothers’ experience participating in the program alongside quantitative statistical analysis.