Effectiveness of Art Therapy Programs on the Improvement of Slow-paced Adolescents' Communication Skills

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an art therapy program (i.e., theater and show) on the improvement of slowpaced adolescents' communication skills.

This study was conducted based on an experimental approach with a pretest and post-test design and a control group. The study population consisted of all 10-14-year-old slow-paced female students in Tehran during the academic year of 2018. Out of this population community, 40 students were selected by random sampling and they were randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups. To collect data, the teachers in both groups were asked to complete the communication skill questionnaires (pre-test). Subsequently, the experimental group was subjected to 20 sessions of 90 minutes using a program of art therapy (i.e., theater and show). On the other hand, the control group received no intervention. Eventually, both groups were subjected to post-test. After three months, both groups were reassessed (follow-up) to investigate the effectiveness of the training sessions.

The results revealed the significant effect of art therapy (i.e., theater and show) on the improvement of females' communication skills (F=118.22, P=0.001). Moreover, a remarkable difference was observed between experimental and control groups in terms of the effect of art therapy on the improvement of females' communication skills. It is noteworthy that art therapy led to the communication skill development in the slow-paced adolescent females, compared to the control group.

According to the obtained results of this study, the art therapy program (i.e., theatre) resulted in the improvement of adolescent females' communication skills. Therefore, it is suggested that parents and teachers identify the students who have difficulty in communication skills with other students to undergo art therapy, thereby improving their communication skills.