At-risk, disadvantaged, and marginalized youth are seldom afforded avenues for healthy self-expression-which, in turn, may further increase risk. Interventions using the arts are often proposed but are seldom formally evaluated. In the present pilot study, we evaluated a brief intensive intervention in which at-risk adolescents partner with professional coaches to write their own play, which is then performed before a live audience. Positive intervention effects were found in decreased hyperactivity/inattention, decreased anhedonia, and improved anger inhibition/suppression. These promising preliminary findings indicate that further study of this type of intervention is warranted.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.