Effect of Psychodrama on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Primary School Students Living in Earthquake-stricken Areas

Objectives This study aims to determine the effectiveness of psychodrama in reducing the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in primary school students living in earthquake-stricken areas. Methods This is a quasi-experimental study with pre-test/post-test design using a control group. The study population consists of all male primary school students diagnosed with PTSD living in Salas-e Baba-jani County, Kermanshah, Iran. Of these, 40 were selected using a purposive sampling method and based on the PTSD criteria, and were then divided into two groups of intervention (n=20) and control (n=20). Research instruments were a diagnostic interview based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) criteria and the PTSD Checklist for DSM5 (PCL-5) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using one-way and multivariate analysis of covariance. Results Psychodrama reduced the symptoms of PTSD in children with an effect size of 0.51 (P<0.001). Conclusion Psychodrama is an effective method for reducing the PTSD symptoms and neuropsychological problems. For the generalization of its results, further studies are recommended.