A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy and play therapy for child victims of abuse

Because of their widespread use, trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and play therapy (PT) were selected as treatments to be included in a meta-analytic study examining their effectiveness in aiding victims of child abuse. Studies analyzing the effectiveness of TF-CBT or PT were found using Academic Search Premier, PsycARTICLES, Psychological and Behavioral Sciences Collection, PsychINFO, Google Scholar, and Digital Dissertation. Ten studies (N = 762) were combined into two separate meta-analyses, one for TF-CBT and one for PT. These were coded, and four general outcome categories were identified: externalizing, internalizing, sexual, and parent report. RESULTS showed an overall effect size of d =.212 for TF-CBT and d =.095 for PT. TF-CBT was more effective than PT on all outcome measures, except for externalizing behavior (PT d =.255 and TF-CBT d =.187). These results indicate that both TF-CBT and PT can be beneficial for victims of child abuse, though TF-CBT usually has more positive outcomes. Future studies should use a wait-list control group and random assignment. © Slade, Warne 2016 Language: en