Dramatherapy for mentally disordered offenders: changes in levels of anger

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine changes in levels of anger associated with a therapeutic theatre project. The population consisted of mentally disordered patients in a maximum security hospital, all of whom had a history of major violence. The subjects were being treated on a ward that specializes in psychotherapeutic interventions. Twelve young adult male patients, defined by structured interview for personality disorder and clinical diagnosis for mental illness, participated in a week‐long dramatherapy project. They were evaluated using self‐report questionnaires both before and after the week, as well as at three‐month follow‐up. Levels of anger significantly reduced from before to after the theatre week. This improvement was maintained at three‐month follow‐up. There was an associated increase in the frequency of attempts to control the expression of anger. It is concluded that a dramatherapy project within a psychotherapeutic environment may be an effective therapeutic modality for reducing anger levels in young mentally disordered offenders. Copyright © 1998 Whurr Publishers Ltd.

Evaluating the Violence Prevention Program: group and individual changes in aggression, anger, self-control, and empathy

“…Participants reported to have better capacity to control their impulses at the end of program as well. Previous research has shown that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was effective in reducing anger and aggression in various populations, such as incarcerated offenders (Blacker et al, 2008), forensic outpatients (Hornsveld et al, 2008), and individuals with mental illnesses or mild mental disabilities (Reiss, Quayle, Brett, & Meux, 1998;Taylor, Novaco, Gillmer, Robertson, & Thorne, 2005). Our research extends these findings by demonstrating that CBT can be effective in reducing anger and aggression for youth offenders as well.…”

The Arts of Desistance: Assessing the Role of Arts-based Programmes in Reducing Reoffending

“…These studies have generally concluded that participation in arts‐in‐prisons programmes may have lasting positive effects for prisoners, ranging from increased self‐esteem and confidence, to reduced levels of anger and risk of self‐harm, to enhanced learning motivation, to improved levels of tolerance of others and a greater capacity to work in teams (see, further, Kennedy ; Reiss et al . ; Dawes ; Goddard ; Cox and Gelsthorpe ; Anderson and Overy ; Boswell, Poland and Moseley ; compare Miles and Clarke ; Digard and Liebling ). Whether or not these long‐term positive effects can be attributed to the programmes evaluated is debatable, however, given that the evaluations in question either did not employ a control group, or, in any case, did not avoid other methodological pitfalls such as small sample size, selection bias and/or sample attrition.…”

The process of change in offender rehabilitation programmes

“…These include drama therapy, psychodrama, role play, and applied theatre practices. Within the area of offender rehabilitation, drama-based techniques have been found to be useful in developing interventions specifically devised to motivate offenders towards change (Antonowicz & Ross, 1994;Matarosso, 1997;Reiss, Quayle, Brett, & Meux, 1998). Geese theatre (UK) has integrated the work of Portuguese drama therapist Fernando Santos Vieira with Prochaska and DiClemente's (1986) stages of change model, to develop a group-based intervention for violent offenders.…”