Trauma in Children and Adolescents: Drama Therapy and Psycholodramatic Approach

Scholarly researches abound in psychodrama and drama therapy as they relate to people dealing with one form of psychological setback or the other. However, there is a dearth of scholarship and practice in the specific areas using psychodrama and drama therapy in the treatment of children and adolescents dealing with trauma, especially in the present-day political, economic, social, family insecurity and uncertainty in Nigeria. This study evaluates the effectiveness of psychodrama and drama therapy as an approach to the treatment of trauma in children and adolescents. The following objectives guide this study: to investigate the causes and effects of trauma in children and adolescents and to ascertain the plausibility of psychodrama and drama therapy as techniques to treat trauma in children and adolescents.

This study adopts the following methods for primary data collection: focus group discussions and participant observation techniques embedded in the process of psychodrama and drama therapy. The research deployed descriptive and explanatory research techniques to analyze data collected from students from two secondary schools namely, Baptist High School and Adventist Grammar School, both in Ede, Osun State. Participants in the sessions were randomly selected after obtaining consent from appropriate school authorities. Secondary sources utilized for this study include the review of related literary materials such as published articles, books, journals, theses, and archival material. All data were subjected to qualitative analysis.

The study finds that there are indeed children and adolescents who have experienced trauma and are clueless about how to deal with it. This research also finds that many do not even know the reason why they react to things the way they do due to ignorance of the fact that they are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Finally, the study submits that the psychodrama and drama therapy techniques are increasingly essential in diagnosing and treating children and adolescents who have experienced trauma and hopes that more practical approaches in this area be encouraged and included in the curriculum of theatre arts so that more professionals can be trained to tackle this area.