Studying the Role of Biophilic Design in Mother-Child Class on Reducing Separation Anxiety in Children Aged 3 to 5 Years Old

Rezaie, Fariba; Khanmohamadi, Marjan; Madanipoor, Samira

doi:10.30470/jaer.2025.2066381.1184

Studying the Role of Biophilic Design in Mother-Child Class on Reducing Separation Anxiety in Children Aged 3 to 5 Years Old

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Fariba Rezaie ¹

Marjan Khanmohamadi ²

Samira Madanipoor ³

¹ PhD student in Architectural Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.

² Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, Alborz, Iran.

³ Master's degree in Psychology, Amir al-Momenin University of Karaj, Alborz, Iran.

10.30470/jaer.2025.2066381.1184

Abstract

Considering that childhood is the stage during which lasting effects are imprinted for an entire lifetime; examining the influence of educational environments on the personality, psychology, and behavior of young children holds particular importance. This issue is especially critical for children who, due to emotional dependence on their parents- particularly their mothers- experience separation anxiety disorder upon entering social or educational environments. Among the therapeutic methods for the disorder parent- child interaction therapy is regarded as the most suitable option in the early stages of treatment. This therapeutic process is most effective when conducted in an environment with specific characteristics that facilitate the treatment stages. Mother and child classrooms are among such purpose-oriented spaces which, by applying the biophilic design approach –a desingn method integrating natural elements with human-made spaces can promote social quality of life, psychological well-being, and reduction of children's anxiety. Accordingiy, the present applied research employs a library-field method using a structured questionnaire designed for pre-test and post-test with a statistical population of children aged 3 to 5 years and their mothers in one of the mother-and-child class centers in Karaj, Iran, The study aims to investigate the role of biophilic design in mother-and- child classrooms in reducing separation anxiety among children aged 3 to 5 years, and ultimately concludes that implementing this design approach in such classrooms significantly contributes to alleviating or reducing attention problems,physical complaints, aggression, and social-personality difficulties resulting from separation anxiety disorder in children aged 3 to 5 years old.

Keywords

Biophilic Design

Children's separation anxiety

Mother-child class

separation anxiety

Child psychological well-being