Effects of Child-Centered Play Therapy on Quality of Life, Depression and Anxiety in Children with Cancer

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of child-centered play therapy on quality of life, depression and anxiety levels of 8-12 year old children. The study was conducted with a control group pretest-posttest design, one of the true experimental models. Child-centered play therapy was applied in the experimental group, while no experimental procedure was performed in the control group. The experimental applications of the study lasted between June and October 2024. The whole therapeutic procedure lasted 12 sessions of 45 minutes 1-2 times a week. In the experimental group, child-centered play therapy was carried out for approximately 5 months. The study included 34 children between the ages of 8 and 12 who were diagnosed with cancer. These children were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. 'Quality of Life Scale for Children' and ‘Depression and Anxiety Scale for Children’ were used to collect the research data. According to the analyses performed on the posttests, it was seen that child-centered play therapy had significant and positive effects on the quality of life, depression and anxiety levels of children with cancer.Key Words: Child-centered play therapy, Depression, Anxiety, Children with Cancer, Quality of Life