On the Edge: a drama‐based mental health education programme on early psychosis for schools

Aims: On the Edge is a mental health education programme designed to support early intervention by increasing knowledge and understanding of early psychosis, reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues and improving awareness of avenues of help. The target audience was young people aged 14–22 years in schools and colleges. Methods: An interactive drama programme was developed through collaborative working across psychiatry, applied drama and those with direct experience of psychosis. A national tour engaged 2500 students in 71 performances that took place in 51 schools and colleges. The programme was evaluated against its aims with data collected both during and after the tour. Results: Quantitative and qualitative evaluation found significant gains with respect to all three aims. Thirty‐one schools developed supportive links with local mental health services. Conclusions: This programme shows the value and effectiveness of delivering health education on early psychosis through the medium of applied drama, and offers a model for a programme that can be incorporated into early intervention services. Lessons learned through delivering this programme are a valuable contribution towards future developments of mental health education programmes for schools.     

新时期戏剧艺术探索的成就与困顿

八十年代初中期 ,中国戏剧积极拓展我国传统戏剧的时空观、写意性特征 ,大胆借鉴西方现代戏剧的荒诞化、意象性技巧 ,出现了探索创新、多元发展的崭新局面。其中对“三一律、一堵墙”戏剧观的突破 ,运用意识形象外显人物的内心世界 ,嫁接多种艺术手段将现实时空转化为艺术时空 ,是新时期戏剧艺术探索最突出的三项成就。而过分强调形式技巧 ,脱离观众欣赏习惯 ,致使演出市场萎缩 ,观众锐减 ,无疑是新时期戏剧艺术探索中面临的最大困顿。     

Helping Children to Manage Emotions Which Trigger Agressive Acts: An Approach Through Drama in School

A case is offered for the inclusion of drama in our work with children and young people to develop coping skills and pro-social behaviours in a society where violence and aggression are on the increase.     

An assessment of resuscitation quality in the television drama Emergency Room: Guideline non-compliance and low-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation lead to a favorable outcome?

Objective

Two earlier studies found that outcome after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the television medical drama Emergency Room (ER) is not realistic. No study has yet evaluated CPR quality in ER.

Design

Retrospective analysis of CPR quality in episodes of ER.

Setting

Three independent board-certified emergency physicians trained in CPR and the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines reviewed ER episodes in two 5-year time-frames (2001–2005 and 2005–2009). Congruency with the corresponding 2000 and 2005 AHA guidelines was determined for each CPR scene.

Patients

None.

Interventions

None.

Main outcome measures

To evaluate whether CPR is in agreement with the specific algorithms of the AHA guidelines. Fisher's exact test and Mann–Whitney-U-test were used to evaluate statistical significance (P < 0.05).

Results

A total of 136 on-screen cardiac arrests occurred in 174 episodes. Trauma was the leading cause of cardiac arrest (56.6%), which was witnessed in 80.1%. Return of spontaneous circulation occurred in 38.2%. Altogether, 19.1% of patients survived until ICU admission, and 5.1% were discharged alive.

Conclusions

Only one CPR scene was in agreement with the published AHA guidelines. However, low-quality CPR and non-compliance with the guidelines resulted in favorable outcomes.     

Audience responses to a research-based drama about life after breast cancer

This article explores audience reactions to the research‐based drama Ladies in Waiting? Life After Breast Cancer. Quantitative findings indicate an overwhelmingly positive response, with approximately 90% of those who saw the production agreeing that they benefited from seeing it and indicating that they would recommend it to others. Qualitative data reveal a more complex picture of the range of reactions, allowing us to describe the most valued aspects of the production (mainly how it eased isolation and normalized the difficult aspects of survivorship) and to better understand the few reports of distress. Audience responses to Ladies in Waiting? suggest that chronic aspects of breast cancer are rarely acknowledged. Viewing the production as one that reveals difficult and hidden realities allows for a fuller understanding both of its supportive and unsettling effects. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Children's experiences of a drama programme in social and emotional learning

The aim of the school-based drama programme was to enhance child social and emotional learning. The programme was implemented by class teachers or teacher-school nurse dyads among fourth and fifth graders (10-12 years old) during the school year 2007-2008. Teachers and school nurses received training before the implementation. One hundred and four students participated. The purpose of the pilot study was to explore student experiences concerning the programme and the learning experiences. After the program, questionnaires with structured and open-ended questions were completed by 90 students (response rate 87%). Additionally, four focus group interviews were conducted. The research data were analysed statistically and by using qualitative data analysis. The quantitative results indicate that most students liked the programme and were enthusiastic about it. According to the qualitative data, students described, e.g. enhanced social and emotional learning and increased understanding of diversity and consequences of bullying. Additionally, drama transformed prosocial behaviour.     

心理剧治疗对癫痫患者自我概念及社会功能的影响

目的探讨心理剧治疗对癫痫患者自我概念及社会功能的影响。方法将60例癫痫患者随机分为研究组和对照组,在两组均使用抗癫痫药物及接受一般健康教育的基础上,仅对研究组辅以心理剧治疗,4周为一个疗程。采用田纳西自我概念量表、社会功能缺陷筛选量表对两组患者进行治疗前后效果评定。结果干预后研究组的社会功能缺陷评分及发生率均低于对照组,自我概念评分高于对照组,差异具有统计学意义（P〈0．01）。结论心理剧治疗有助于消除癫痫患者的自卑心理,增强自信心,提高自我概念水平,对改善患者的社会功能有积极的促进作用,有利于疾病康复。     

School-based drama interventions in health promotion for children and adolescents: systematic review

Title.  School-based drama interventions in health promotion for children andadolescents: systematic review.
Aim.  The paper is a report of a review of the literature on the effects of school-based drama interventions in health promotion for school-aged children and adolescents.
Background.  Drama, theatre and role-playing methods are commonly used in health promotion programmes, but evidence of their effectiveness is limited. The educational drama approach and social cognitive theory is share the assumption that learning is based on self-reflection and interaction between environment and person. However, educational drama also emphasizes learning through the dialectics between actual and fictional contexts.
Data sources.  A search was carried out using 10 databases and hand searching for the period January 1990 to October 2006.
Methods.  A Cochrane systematic review was conducted.
Results.  Nine studies met the criteria for inclusion. Their topics included health behaviour (five studies), mental health (two) and social health (two). Actor-performed drama or theatre play followed by group activities was the intervention in five studies, and classroom drama in four studies. Four of the studies were randomized controlled trials and five were non-randomized controlled studies. Four reports gave the theory on which the intervention was based, and in eight studies at least some positive effects or changes were reported, mostly concerning knowledge and attitudes related to health behaviour. The diversity of designs and instruments limited comparisons.
Conclusion.  There is a need for well-designed and theory-based studies that address drama interventions in health promotion for children and families. The challenge is to find or develop a theory, which combines educational, drama and health theories with valid and reliable measurements to examine the effects of the intervention.