Effectiveness of Play Therapy for pain and Anxiety Relief in Children Following Surgery: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Play therapy has emerged as a novel, non-invasive approach to improving the psychological status of children after surgery. Postoperative pain and anxiety can affect the recovery process and reduce their quality of life. Play therapy may help reduce these complication and provide a better treatment experience for children. By creating a safe and joyful space, it enables children to express feelings and reduce stress. This systematic review aims to examine the effectiveness of play therapy in alleviating pain and anxiety in children after surgery. Methods: A comprehensive search of reputable databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, was conducted. Studies published from ۲۰۱۸ to ۲۰۲۵ were searched using keywords "play therapy," "pain relief," "anxiety," "children," and "post-surgery." After screening titles and abstracts and removing duplicates and irrelevant items and from a total of ۲۵۶ retrieved articles, six randomized controlled trials assessing the effectiveness of play therapy in reducing pain and anxiety in children after surgery were selected and subjected to content analysis. Results: Recent randomized controlled trials indicate that the use of play therapy significantly reduces pain and anxiety in children after surgery and invasive procedures. The findings suggest that applying play therapy can serve as an effective complementary intervention in clinical centers to reduce pain and anxiety in children following invasive procedures. Overall, this systematic review emphasizes that play therapy is an efficient and non-harmful tool to improve the treatment experience for children after surgery and invasive procedures and to help reduce pain and anxiety related to procedures. Discussion and Conclusion: Play therapy, as a safe, non-harmful, and non-pharmacological approach, has shown high potential for controlling pain and anxiety in children after surgery and invasive procedures. Play therapy appears as a valuable, complementary approach to reduce pain and anxiety and may improve the surgical experience and recovery process. However, given the limitations of current research, more comprehensive studies with precise designs are necessary to develop and optimize practical and clinical frameworks.

کلیدواژه ها:

play therapy ، pain ، anxiety ، postoperative ، children