The effect of play-based occupational therapy on symptoms and participation in daily life activities in children with cancer: A randomized controlled trial

Introduction This study aimed to investigate the effect of play-based occupational therapy on symptoms and participation in daily life activities in hospitalized children with cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Method A total of 25 children (mean age = 9.28 ± 0.95 years, range = 7–12 years) with cancer undergoing chemotherapy were enrolled and randomly assigned to a play-based occupational therapy group ( n = 12) or control group ( n = 13). The intervention group received eight 1-hour play-based occupational therapy sessions, and the control group received traditional occupational therapy services. Participation in daily life activities, therapy-related symptoms, pain, anxiety, and fatigue were evaluated. Results Total mean scores of participation in daily life activities in the intervention group in the diversity of activities ( p = 0.001, d = 1.39), intensity of participation ( p = 0.001, d = 1.86), with whom done ( p = 0.005, d = 1.22), enjoyment ( p = 0.003, d = 1.33), and parents’ satisfaction ( p = 0.003, d = 1.33) were significantly higher than the control group. Symptoms decreased in both groups; however, this trend had a significant difference in the intervention group for the therapy-related symptom checklist ( p = 0.001, d = 1.68), pain ( p = 0.001, d = 1.61), anxiety ( p = 0.001, d = 1.58), and fatigue ( p = 0.002, d = 1.39) scores. Conclusion A 2-week course of inpatient play-based occupational therapy is an effective approach in the reduction of cancer symptoms, therapy-related symptoms, and the participation facilitation, of children with cancer in daily life activities.