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NCT Number: NCT07505017

A Positive Psychodrama Intervention to Improve Psychological Well-Being in University Students

Psychological well-being has been conceptualized as the realization of one's potential, the ability to establish meaningful relationships, the capacity to utilize environmental opportunities in line with personal goals, self-direction, and the development of positive self-esteem. Within contemporary educational frameworks, student development is supported not only through instructional services but also through student personal development services, which contribute to identity formation. Psychodrama, as an action-oriented group intervention, aims to enhance psychological well-being through techniques such as enactment, cognitive processing, catharsis, surplus reality, mirroring, confrontation, empathy development, and role flexibility. Previous studies have demonstrated the application of psychodrama across various domains, including reducing anxiety, alleviating hopelessness, enhancing self-esteem, improving communication and social skills, addressing crises and addiction, coping with depressive symptoms and chronic illness, and supporting mental health.

The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of psychodrama as a psychoeducational intervention on psychological well-being, self-esteem, self-compassion, empathy, and affective awareness among undergraduate nursing students in Turkey. The study will be conducted with students enrolled in a nursing faculty, specifically those who have taken the pediatric nursing theoretical course and are preparing to begin their clinical practicum.

This study is designed as a randomized controlled trial. Participants will be recruited from second- and third-year nursing students and will be informed about the study prior to voluntary participation. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group (maximum of 20 participants per group). The experimental group will participate in a structured psychodrama program consisting of 10 sessions, conducted twice weekly, each session lasting approximately two hours. The sessions will be facilitated by a certified psychodramatist and a co-therapist under supervision. The control group will receive no intervention.

Data will be collected at three time points: baseline (pre-test), post-intervention, and a 2-month follow-up. In the pre-, post-, and follow-up assessments, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), PERMA Profiler, Basic Empathy Scale (BES), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), Emotional Contagion Scale (ECS), and the HEXACO Personality Inventory will be administered.

The instruments used in this study also include a sociodemographic questionnaire (11 items). In addition, qualitative data will be collected through post-session interviews with participants in the psychodrama group to explore their experiences.

Based on existing empirical evidence and the limited number of studies conducted with nursing students, particularly in pediatric nursing contexts, this study aims to contribute to the literature by examining the effects of psychodrama group interventions on developmental outcomes, self-compassion, self-esteem, well-being, affective awareness, and empathy levels among nursing students.

It is hypothesized that there will be statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups in terms of these outcome variables (H1). Furthermore, it is expected that the positive effects of the psychodrama intervention on these variables will be sustained over time, indicating long-term effectiveness (H2). Beyond hypothesis testing, the findings are anticipated to provide practical implications for the design and implementation of psychodrama-based interventions in academic settings.

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Key information

Conditions

Nursing Student Empathy Nursing Education Pediatric Nursing Psychotherapy, Group Self Compassion Self Esteem Well Being

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Erenköy Mental and Nervous Diseases Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul, Ümraniye, 34760, Turkey (Türkiye)

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Being an undergraduate nursing student enrolled in the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences.
  • Providing voluntary informed consent after being informed about the aims and procedures of the study.
  • Signing the group contract

Exclusion criteria

  • Personally knowing the group leader or co-leader.
  • Reporting inability to participate in all assessment phases (T1: Pre-test, T2: Post-test, T3: Follow-up test).
  • Self-reporting the use of psychiatric medication or currently receiving clinical psychiatric treatment.
  • Indicating that the scheduled session days and times are not suitable (these participants are assigned to the control group after providing informed consent).

Treatment and study plan

Psychodrama group therapy

Behavioral

The intervention consisted of a structured, manualized psychodrama program delivered in a group format. The program included 10 sessions conducted weekly, each lasting approximately 120-150 minutes. Sessions were facilitated by a certified psychodramatist under the supervision of an accredited psychodrama trainer. The intervention incorporated core psychodrama techniques such as role-playing, role reversal, mirroring, doubling, and enactment to enhance emotional expression, empathy, and self-awareness. The program followed a standardized session structure including warm-up, action, and sharing phases, ensuring consistency across sessions.

Primary outcomes

  1. Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)

    Time frame: pre-test, post-test (10 weeks after pre-test-immediately after the intervention) , and after 2 months (follow-up test)

    The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) is used to assess individuals' levels of positive (e.g., enthusiasm, alertness) and negative (e.g., distress, irritability) affect. It provides a measure of emotional well-being and allows for the evaluation of changes in affective states over time.

  2. Emotional Contagion Scale (ECS)

    Time frame: pre-test, post-test (10 weeks after pre-test-immediately after the intervention), and after 2 months (follow-up test)

    The Emotional Contagion Scale (ECS) measures the extent to which individuals are susceptible to others' emotions. It assesses emotional responsiveness and the tendency to "catch" others' emotional states.

  3. Self-Compassion Scale (SCS)

    Time frame: pre-test, post-test (10 weeks after pre-test-immediately after the intervention), and after 2 months (follow-up test)

    The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) is used to evaluate individuals' level of self-compassion. It includes components such as self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, and mindfulness.

  4. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale

    Time frame: pre-test, post-test (10 weeks after pre-test-immediately after the intervention), and after 2 months (follow-up test)

    The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is employed to measure global self-esteem. It assesses individuals' overall evaluation of their self-worth, including both positive and negative self-perceptions.

  5. PERMA Profiler

    Time frame: pre-test, post-test (10 weeks after pre-test-immediately after the intervention), and after 2 months (follow-up test)

    The PERMA Profiler is utilized to evaluate psychological well-being within the framework of positive psychology. It measures five core dimensions: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment.

  6. Basic Empathy Scale (BES)

    Time frame: pre-test, post-test (10 weeks after pre-test-immediately after the intervention), and after 2 months (follow-up test)

    The Basic Empathy Scale (BES) is used to assess individuals' empathy levels. It evaluates both cognitive empathy (the ability to understand others' emotions) and affective empathy (the ability to share others' emotional experiences).

  7. HEXACO Personality Inventory

    Time frame: pre-test, post-test (10 weeks after pre-test-immediately after the intervention), and after 2 months (follow-up test)

    The HEXACO Personality Inventory is used to assess personality traits based on a six-factor model: Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Ministry of Health, Turkey

Other Gov

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Apr 1, 2026
Registry last updated
Apr 1, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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