The Effectiveness of Dance Therapy as an Adjunct to Rehabilitation of Adults With a Physical Disability

Women with disabilities, body image, and wellbeing: Assessing the effectiveness of dance sessions

INTRODUCTION

There is growing research evidence on bodily discourses and body image issues of women with disabilities. Within the art-based intervention repertoire for persons with disabilities, dance and movement-based therapies and interventions are gaining prominence. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of dance sessions (delivered online) on body image, body satisfaction/dissatisfaction, and wellbeing of women with disabilities.

METHOD

A quasi-experimental waitlist control design study was conducted with data collected at two time points: baseline or pre-test and five-months later or post-test. Outcomes were measured using the Body Image Scale and the WHO-5-Wellbeing Index.

RESULTS

The dance sessions were effective (Hedges' g = -0.56 -0.88; p < 0.01) and post-test body dissatisfaction scores were lower and wellbeing scores were higher for participants with a college degree or postgraduate degree, self-employed or students, and whose intervention compliance was above threshold (>50% dance sessions attended and corresponding homework sessions completed). Tobit regression models indicated that it was possible to estimate post-test outcomes due to dance sessions alone, controlling for significant socio-demographics.

DISCUSSION

The domain knowledge of non-pharmacological art-based interventions for persons with disabilities, particularly women, is supported.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings commend dance sessions as effective psychotherapeutic mechanisms to mitigate body dissatisfaction, improve body image and wellbeing of women with disabilities. Future research may focus on large-scale cross-sectional trials, variations in the repertoire for women with different disability types and histories, and qualitative narratives.

The efficacy of dance interventions for the activity and participation of individuals with cerebral palsy - a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

The aim of this review was to examine the efficacy of dance interventions for individuals with cerebral palsy (CP), measured at any level of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed articles was performed using six electronic databases.

RESULTS

Fourteen studies were included in this review, nine of which were also included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analyses yielded a large overall effect for cognitive, motor, and social-emotional function outcomes, with a high degree of heterogeneity between outcome effects, attributable to differences in study design.

CONCLUSION

Although recent studies provide support for the acceptance and efficacy of dance interventions for people with CP, the systematic review revealed significant limitations in study design (only 2 randomised control trials). High-quality research that measures outcomes across all dimensions of the ICF, and particularly at the level of participation, are needed to improve the level of empirical support for dance-based interventions.

Application of Educational Psychology-Based Dance Therapy in College Students' Life Education

The purpose is to strengthen the life education of contemporary college students and give better play to the vital role of life education in preventing college students' mental diseases. Specifically, it discusses the role of dance therapy (DT) in College Students' Life Education (CSLE). Firstly, based on educational psychology (EP), this manuscript analyzes the relevant theoretical concepts of EP and life education and discusses the importance of life education to contemporary college students. Secondly, following a Questionnaire Survey (QS) and using deep learning (DL) Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Facial Emotion Recognition (FER), this manuscript reviews and examines the CSLE's current situation and the DT effect. Research findings are summarized combined with the QS results and scores of 20 subjects before and after five activities in 3 months. (I) After DT intervention, the positive dimensions of college students' life values have improved, especially self-development and dedication, and their quality of life is refined. Thus, DT group counseling proves the positive role of DT in CSLE. (II) After DT intervention, 96.5% of the members think DT is effective. Therefore, EP-based DT is more effective and scientific in CSLE. The research findings provide a DT-based teaching concept for CSLE, explore the feasibility and effectiveness of life education, and enrich the DT scheme of CSLE. The research provides a practical reference for further applying DT in college students' psychological education.

Exploring the impact of a clinical dance therapy program on the mobility of adults with a neurological condition using a single-case experimental design

BACKGROUND

This study built upon previous quasi-experimental design research studying the effectiveness of a 12-week dance therapy program for persons with a physical disability (DTPD) aiming to improve mobility.

METHODS

We conducted a single-case experimental design (SCED), including pre- and post-interventions measures, with seven participants with repeated measures during pre-dance (A1), dance program (B) and post-dance phases (A2).

RESULTS

Five participants completed the study and significantly (p < 0.05) improved their scores on the MiniBESTest; 2/5 and 4/5 improved scores for the 4 Square Step Test and the Multidirectional Reach Test-Behind, respectively, with very large effect size (ES). Aggregated ES (A1-A2) went from moderate to very large.

CONCLUSIONS

Results support the effectiveness of the DTPD program for adults with neurological conditions, and for the use of SCED to explore effectiveness of dance interventions for heterogeneous cohorts.