The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of program of integrated arts therapy on young female delinquents' who experienced emotional and behavioral problems in a correctional institution. The outlined intervention was introduced as part of a curriculum involving art therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, and dance/movement therapy sessions that were facilitated twice a week during a 5-week period. A quasi-experimental design was used where an intervention group (N = 12) and a control group (N = 17) members aged 14-17 years were evaluated at two time points. A self-report version of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and a modified Behavior Checklist (BC) were used prior to and after the intervention to screen for conduct, emotional, peer problems, hyperactivity, and prosocial behavior, and to investigate the frequencies of aggressive, withdrawn and prosocial behavior. There were statistically significant reductions in three of the five emotional and behavioral problems measured by the SDQ, including conduct and emotional problems, an increase of prosocial behavior, and significant differences in two domains measured by the BC: decrease in frequencies of aggressive behavior and increase of prosocial behavior.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential for an integrated arts therapy intervention to influence youth at risk for delinquent behavior. Toward this goal, we applied a one-group pre-post experimental design to assess the effect of an Integrated Arts Therapy Program on participants' selfreported life satisfaction, self-esteem (global and academic), mood (general and momentary), and emotional and behavioural problems (emotional, conduct, hyperactivity, peer, and prosocial behavior) in a sample of students with risk of delinquency. Teachers identified at risk youngsters and 95 students aged between 8 and 17 participated in 16 different gender-mixed groups for 16 sessions during eight-week program period. Results of within group comparisons indicated positive, statistically significant improvements from pre-to posttest on all of the measures: (1) increased global self-esteem (the Global Negative Self-Evaluations Scale), academic self-esteem (the Perceived Academic Competence Scale), and life satisfaction (the Students' Life Satisfaction Scale); (2) decreased total difficulties with conduct and hyperactivity problems, and improved prosocial behavior (the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire); and (3) improved momentary and general mood over time by intervention. These findings indicated that the multi-modal arts therapy group-based program for students with risk for delinquency may be an effective intervention and can lead to at least short-term positive changes by improving participants' self-esteem, wellbeing and behavioral problems.
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