Journal of Clinical Care and Skills

en Effect of Solution-Focused Child Skills Training and Acceptance and Commitment-Based Play Therapy on Social Competence in Anxious Children Health Profession Skills and Practice Health Profession Skills and Practice پژوهشی اصيل Original Research Aims: Anxiety disorders profoundly impair children’s mental health and social functioning, manifesting in symptoms, such as inattention, cognitive deficits, and behavioral avoidance. Early intervention is crucial to mitigate these effects. This study comparatively evaluated the efficacy of solution-focused child skills training and acceptance and commitment-based play therapy in enhancing social competence among anxious children. Materials & Methods: This quasi-experimental clinical trial was conducted with a pre-test, post-test, and three-month follow-up design, incorporating a control group. The sample consisted of anxious children aged 9-12 years from schools in Tehran’s District 5 during the 2024-2025 academic year. Sixty female students, diagnosed by specialists and meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria, were selected and randomly allocated to three equal groups (n=20 each), including solution-focused child skills training, acceptance and commitment-based play therapy, and control. Interventions involved eight 60-minute weekly sessions tailored to each experimental group. Social competence was assessed via the parent-rated Social Competence Scale. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA in SPSS 26. Findings: There were significant intergroup differences in social competence (p<0.001). Solution-focused child skills training yielded markedly greater improvements than acceptance and commitment-based play therapy, demonstrating superior efficacy. No significant differences emerged between post-test and follow-up scores across groups, indicating sustained intervention effects. Conclusion: Solution-focused child skills training outperforms acceptance and commitment-based play therapy in bolstering social competence in anxious children.   Anxiety,Acceptance and Commitment Therapy,Play Therapy,Social Skills,Child, 177 183 http://jccs.yums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-375-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 B. Hamidi 10031947532846006325 10031947532846006325 No Department of Psychology, Sari Campus (Sar.C.), Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran H.A. Ghanadzadegan 10031947532846006326 10031947532846006326 Yes Department of Psychology, Sari Campus (Sar.C.), Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran B. Mirzaian 10031947532846006327 10031947532846006327 No Department of Psychology, Sari Campus (Sar.C.), Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran