minoo derakhsh

Using online games has many negative emotional and social consequences. Therefore, the present research was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of play therapy on improving emotion regulation and social adjustment of students addicted to online games.

This study in terms of purpose was applied and in terms of implementation method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test and follow-up design with a control group. The research population was the fifth grade students of district 2 of Sari city in the 2021-22 academic years. The sample size based on G Power software for each group was determined 15 people, who this number was selected by purposive sampling method and by random method replaced into two experimental and control groups. The experimental group 8 sessions of 90 minute underwent the play therapy, and during this time the control group did not receive any education. The data were collected with addiction to online games questionnaire (Wang & Chang, 2002), emotion regulation questionnaire for children and adolescents (Gullone and Taffe, 2012) and children's social adjustment scale (Dokhanchi, 1998) and were analyzed by methods of variance analysis by repeated measurement and Bonferroni post hoc test in SPSS-26 software.

The findings showed that the play therapy improved the emotion regulation (reappraisal and suppression) and social adjustment of students addicted to online games, and the results remained in the follow-up phase (P<0.001).

The results indicated the effectiveness of play therapy and its durability on improving emotion regulation and social adjustment of students addicted to online games. Therefore, specialists and therapists can use play therapy along with other treatment methods to improve psychological characteristics, especially to improve emotion regulation and social adjustment.

The addicted to online games is increasing, and considering its negative consequences, the present research was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of anger control education on decreasing anger and anxiety and increasing social adjustment of students addicted to online games.

This study in terms of purpose was applied and in terms of implementation method was semiexperimental with a pre-test, post-test and follow-up design with a control group. The research population was the fifth grade students of district 2 of Sari city in the 2021-22 academic years. The sample size based on G Power software for each group was determined 15 people, who this number was selected by purposive sampling method and by random method replaced into two experimental and control groups. The experimental group 12 sessions of 90 minute underwent the anger control education, and during this time the control group did not receive any education. The research tools were the addiction to online games questionnaire (Wang and Chang, 2002), children's anger inventory (Nelson and Finch, 2000), children's anxiety scale (Spence, 1997) and children's social adjustment scale (Dokhanchi, 1998) and the data were analyzed by methods of variance analysis by repeated measurement and Bonferroni post hoc test in SPSS-26 software.

The findings showed that the anger control education decreased the anger and anxiety and increased the social adjustment of students addicted to online games, and the results remained in the follow-up phase (P<0.001).

The results of this research indicated the effect of anger control education and its permanence on decreasing anger and anxiety and increasing social adjustment of students addicted to online games. Therefore, professionals and therapists can use anger control education along with other treatment methods to improve psychological characteristics, especially to decrease the anger and anxiety and increase the social adaptation.