Caregiver and child perceptions of play in a refugee context in Uganda

Play can strengthen child-caregiver relationships and mitigate toxic stress that refugee children experience. In this multi-method qualitative study, in-depth interviews, focus groups discussions, household observation and Photovoice methodologies were used to explore how children and caregivers describe and perceive play in refugee settings in Uganda. A total of n = 155 caregivers (60 men and 95 women, age range 19–76) and n = 75 children (33 boys and 42 girls, age range 8–14) participated in the study. Findings indicate that there are significant similarities between how children and caregivers perceive the important and role of play, as well as who can engage in play, yet there are barriers, including caregiver stress, which prevent and interrupt child-caregiver interactions in the context of play.