Effectiveness of Drama Therapy in Reducing Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction

The effectiveness of drama therapy in reducing lone- liness and social dissatisfaction among children was investigated. An elementary school in Tehran, Iran, was randomly selected and the Loneliness and Social Dissatis- faction Questionnaire (LSCD; Cassidy & Asher, 1992) was administered to fourth and fifth graders (N = 104). Among those who completed the questionnaire, eight children re- ceiving the highest scores on the LSDQ were selected as the sample. For six weeks, the sample group received tw- ice per week two hour sessions of drama therapy. LSDQ was administered again after sessions of four, eight, and twelve. Results of repeated measures analysis showed that loneliness and social dissatisfaction scores had signifi- cantly decreased by the end of the intervention period. The implications of findings in prevention and treatment of loneliness and social dissatisfaction in children are discussed.