Interactive media-based dance and art therapies as interventions for treating posttraumatic symptoms among school children with abduction experience.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of interactive media-based dance and art therapies in reducing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder among school children in Nigeria who have experienced abduction. METHOD: The study utilised a quasi-experimental design using a sample of 470 school children in Nigeria aged 10-18. The participants were divided into three groups, namely control, dance and art therapy groups. While participants in the art therapy group took part in art therapy sessions, those in dance therapy took part in dance therapy sessions. Participants in the control group received no intervention at all. RESULTS: The result showed a drop in PTSD scores of participants in art and dance therapies at post-intervention and follow-up assessment after six months. However, those in the control group did not report a significant drop in their PTSD symptoms even after six months. Dance therapy was found to be more effective than art therapy. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this study is that dance therapy is more effective even though both art and dance therapies assist children exposed to traumatic events. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: This study has offered empirical evidence that could guide the planning and implementation of therapies aimed at assisting school children aged 10-18 to recover from traumatic experiences.

Rethinking the frontiers of vaccine acceptance: Impact of visual messages in promoting the actual intake of COVID-19 vaccines among vulnerable populations.

Studies on COVID-19 vaccine mainly focused on behavior intention and rarely on actual intake. This study attempted to fill this gap by assessing the impact of visual artistic messages on COVID-19 vaccination among victims of insecurity. The study was a quasi-experiment involving 362 victims of insecurity. There were two groups in the quasi experiment known as control and treatment groups. The former did not receive the intervention while the latter did. The results of the study revealed that vaccination among the participants in the visual intervention improved from 12% before the visual intervention to 74% after the intervention and 95% after 6 months of follow-up assessment. On the contrary, COVID-19 vaccination for the no visual intervention only slightly improved from 13% to 18% and 19%, respectively, within the same time framework. The study expands the argument on security discourse by highlighting the need to consider the health welfare of victims of armed conflict as part of the larger security discourse. Doing so will not only improves existing literature but also provides the needed empirical data that will guide policies and program on security issues. Theoretically, the study has offered fresh understanding regarding variables from the health belief model, such as perceived severity and perceived vulnerability.

Comparing the effect of social media-based drama, music and art therapies on reduction in post-traumatic symptoms among Nigerian refugees of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to ascertain the effectiveness of social media-based music, art and drama therapies in treating PTSD symptoms among Nigerian evacuees from the Russia-Ukraine war. DESIGN AND METHODS: This study was a quasi-experiment involving a sample of 330 participants that were randomly assigned to control and treatment groups. The treatment group was further classified into three groups according to the different contents of the therapies they received. RESULTS: The study result showed that social media-based therapies effectively reduced PTSD symptoms for participants in the treatment group, unlike those who did not receive the intervention. Comparatively, drama therapy was more effective than art and music therapies. The reason drama therapy was more effective could be because it engaged the minds and body of the participants more than the other therapies. CONCLUSION: Although art, music and drama therapies are effective treatment options for reducing symptoms of PTSD among victims of war, drama therapy is the most effective among them all. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The result of this study has practical implications for health promotion from the perspective of nursing services by showing that social media-based therapies could serve as viable and cost-effectivealternativese to face-to-face group therapy.