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World J Psychiatry. Sep 19, 2026; 16(9): 119180
Published online Sep 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.119180
Published online Sep 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.119180
Effectiveness of social skills education and sandplay therapy for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and comorbid anxiety
Chun-Ping Ju, Chun-Ying Tan, Department of Pediatrics, Liaoning Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Shenyang 110005, Liaoning Province, China
Yang Zhang, Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation and Developmental Behavior, Liaoning Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Shenyang 110005, Liaoning Province, China
Author contributions: Ju CP participated in research design, data collection and data analysis; Zhang Y was responsible for data collection and thesis writing; Tan CY was responsible for research design, fund application, data analysis, review and editing, communication and coordination, ethical review, copyright and licensing and follow-up; all authors have read and accepted the final manuscript.
Supported by Liaoning Province Science and Technology Plan Project, No. 2025JH2/101330085.
Institutional review board statement: The research was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Liaoning Maternal and Child Health Hospital (No. 20260116001).
Clinical trial registration statement: This study has not yet been registered with clinical trials.
Informed consent statement: All participants provided informed consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.
Data sharing statement: No other data available.
Corresponding author: Chun-Ying Tan, Chief Physician, Department of Pediatrics, Liaoning Maternal and Child Health Hospital, No. 240 Shayang Road, Heping District, Shenyang 110005, Liaoning Province, China. chunpingjv@163.com
Received: March 3, 2026
Revised: March 18, 2026
Accepted: April 28, 2026
Published online: September 19, 2026
Processing time: 173 Days and 22.4 Hours
Revised: March 18, 2026
Accepted: April 28, 2026
Published online: September 19, 2026
Processing time: 173 Days and 22.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: For children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and comorbid anxiety, a 12-week intervention combining structured social skills education with nondirective sandplay therapy significantly alleviated core behavioral symptoms and anxiety, while enhancing attention function and self-awareness. This comprehensive, non-pharmacological approach yielded high parental satisfaction by integrating external skill-building with internal emotional integration, offering a clinically valuable treatment model that addresses both the psychological and social deficits in this complex pediatric population.