علوم رفتاری - International Journal of Behavioral Sciences, Volume (19), No (4), Year (2026-5) , Pages (246-257)

Title : ( Play as Antidote: Virtual Parenting to Curb Child Anxiety in Pandemic-era Iran )

Authors: Sarah Pishdadian , Seyede soleil Ziaee , Seyyed Mohsen Asgharinekah ,

Citation: BibTeX | EndNote

Abstract

Introduction: Quarantine, while a critical public health measure for controlling infectious diseases, imposes considerable psychosocial burdens, particularly on young children and their parents. This study investigated the efficacy of a virtual cognitive-behavioral play therapy (CBPT) program in (a) enhancing the quality of parent-child interaction (specifically, increasing closeness and reducing conflict), (b) improving children\\\\\\\'s awareness and attitudes toward COVID-19, and (c) reducing anxiety symptoms in children aged 4 to 6 years during quarantine. Method: Using a convenience sampling method, mothers of children aged 4–6 years were recruited via social media announcements and screened for eligibility. A total of 57 eligible participants were assigned to either an intervention group (n = 26) or a waitlist control group (n = 31). The intervention group participated in eight weekly 90-minute virtual CBPT sessions delivered via the Skyroom platform. Outcomes were assessed using the Coronavirus Awareness and Attitude Questionnaire (Elahi, 2020), the Spence Children\\\\\\\'s Anxiety Scale – Parent Version (Spence, 1997), and the Pianta Parent–Child Relationship Scale (1994). Data were collected at pretest and posttest and analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results: Two groups were comparable at baseline (p>.05). MANCOVA showed significant intervention effects on child anxiety (Pillai’s Trace = 0.34, p=.001) and parent–child interaction (Pillai’s Trace = 0.28, p=.002). ANCOVA revealed that the intervention group had significantly lower child anxiety and higher parent–child interaction quality than controls (all p<.05). No significant difference was found for COVID-19 awareness (p=.059), but attitudes toward COVID-19 improved significantly (p<.001). Sensitivity analyses confirmed robustness. Conclusion: The virtual intervention led to significant reductions in child anxiety and significant improvements in children\\\\\\\'s attitudes toward COVID-19 and the quality of parent-child interaction (reflected in increased closeness and decreased conflict). However, no significant effect was observed on children\\\\\\\'s level of COVID-19 awareness.

Keywords

, Quarantine, Play Therapy, Parenting
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@article{paperid:1107328,
author = {سارا پیشدادیان and Ziaee, Seyede Soleil and Asgharinekah, Seyyed Mohsen},
title = {Play as Antidote: Virtual Parenting to Curb Child Anxiety in Pandemic-era Iran},
journal = {علوم رفتاری - International Journal of Behavioral Sciences},
year = {2026},
volume = {19},
number = {4},
month = {May},
issn = {2322-1194},
pages = {246--257},
numpages = {11},
keywords = {Quarantine; Play Therapy; Parenting},
}

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%0 Journal Article
%T Play as Antidote: Virtual Parenting to Curb Child Anxiety in Pandemic-era Iran
%A سارا پیشدادیان
%A Ziaee, Seyede Soleil
%A Asgharinekah, Seyyed Mohsen
%J علوم رفتاری - International Journal of Behavioral Sciences
%@ 2322-1194
%D 2026

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