Effectiveness of drama and music therapies as health communication interventions for reducing anxiety and posttraumatic disorders among children-victims of flood

Abstract

This study examined the usefulness of drama and music therapies as communication strategies for reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) among school children (aged 10–16) who were victims of the 2022 floods in Nigeria. The researchers randomly assigned the children to control (n = 122) drama therapy (n = 120) and music therapy (n = 120) groups. The result of the study revealed that after the intervention, school children in the drama and music therapies (unlike those in the control group) reported a significant reduction in their PTSD and GAD symptoms; the reduction achieved statistical significance (p = 0.001, η_p² = 0.48). Further results revealed a significant interactive effect of gender (p = 0.001) with boys reporting a significant reduction more than girls. The results showed that drama therapy contributed more to reducing PTSD symptoms, while music therapy contributed more to reducing GAD symptoms. The difference did not achieve statistical significance (p = 0.23). The researchers conclude that both drama and music therapies were associated with reduced symptoms, indicating the interventions may be beneficial therapies.