Deaf Adults and Dance/Movement Therapy: Self-esteem, Self-efficacy, and Wellbeing
摘要
Dance/movement therapy (DMT) research on DMT for deaf adults is particularly limited. There is a need to explore whether deaf adults who participate in DMT sessions would report higher scores on self-esteem, self-efficacy, and wellbeing. This paper reports a non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental study on the impact of DMT on deaf adults’ self-esteem, self-efficacy, and wellbeing in the city of Mumbai, India (N pre-test = 56; N post-test = 51) compared to a waitlist control group (N pre-test = 55; N post-test = 47). DMT sessions for this cohort comprised weekly face-to-face therapist-guided group sessions for 48-weeks. Individual tasks in-between sessions were recommended, which entailed journal writing or jotting personal reflections after each session. Two Indian sign language experts were present throughout the group sessions. The two dance/movement therapists observed and worked through the participant’s developmental phases using the power of movement. (Schmais, American Journal of Dance Therapy 8:17–36, 1985) Eight healing processes in group dance/movement therapy sessions were the guiding principles for this therapeutic repertoire: synchrony, expression, rhythm, education, vitalization, integration, cohesion, and symbolism. The participants reported higher scores on self-esteem, self-efficacy, and wellbeing measures in comparison to the waitlist control cohort. Disaggregated findings revealed that gains were particularly higher for female participants, participants with postgraduate or professional degrees, participants engaged in paid service or self-employed, those who attended more than half or 25–48 DMT sessions, and who completed 25–48 DMT tasks in-between sessions. DMT can be potentially effective for bolstering deaf adults’ psychological resources.