Interconnecting dance movement therapy with anger regulation: a journey to emotional stability

Children with cancer and their caregivers face physical and psychosocial challenges during and after treatment. Dance/movement therapy (DMT) has been used to improve well-being, promote healthy coping, and mitigate the impact of illness, but limited knowledge exists regarding DMT utilization, delivery, and outcomes in pediatric oncology. This retrospective study aimed to identify reasons for referral to DMT, DMT visit characteristics, key DMT techniques and processes, and clinician-reported outcomes. We examined the electronic medical records of 100 randomly selected pediatric patients (resulting in 1160 visits) who received DMT services between 2011 and 2021. Sociodemographic, clinical, and visit characteristics, referral reasons, and clinician-reported outcomes were reported as frequency and proportions. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to identify key DMT techniques and processes. Among 100 patients (63% female, aged 0-27 years), 77.9% were referred for psychological distress and 19.6% for pain. Two distinct DMT approaches were used during visits: a traditional DMT approach (77%) and a multisensory DMT approach (23%). The most common visit length was 15-25 min (41.6%), followed by sessions of 30-45 min (22.5%) and ≤10 min (18.1%). A total of 61.9% of DMT visits were inpatient and 38.1% outpatient. Of all visits, 8.8% were new and 91.2% were follow-ups. Caregivers were engaged in treatment in 43.7% of visits, and 5.5% of visits focused entirely on the work with the caregiver. DMT intervention focused on self-expression, emotional self-regulation, coping strategies, socialization, and caregiver-child interaction. Clinician-reported outcomes included enhanced coping with hospital experience (58%), improved pain management (27%), improved self-regulation (21%), and increased physical activation (13.2%). The results suggest DMT as a supportive intervention for psychological distress and pain management in pediatric oncology patients and provide insights into DMT practices and outcomes to guide intervention development and future research.

Dance and Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) have garnered increasing attention as therapeuticinterventions for enhancing psychological well-being. This literature review explores the effects of dance and DMT on emotional regulation and resilience. Utilizing studies from recentsystematic reviews, meta-analyses, and empirical research, the findings highlight the multifaceted benefits of dance interventions, including improved self-concept, emotional intelligence, and social connectedness. These outcomes are achieved through physical movement, creative expression, and interpersonal interaction. Challenges in standardising dance-based interventions and measuring their effects are also discussed. This review concludes with a call for further research to maximise the potential of dance in mental health settings.

Relevance: Emotional dysregulation is often identified in a variety of mental disorders and shows high comorbidity between them. The presence of emotional regulation disorders can be assessed using various tools, but the most popular is the Difficulty in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS), which is used to assess emotional regulation disorders in different populations, including adults and adolescents, and is widely used both in research and clinical practice. The purpose of the study: to create a Ukrainian-language version of the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS) and its cross-cultural adaptation among adolescents and adults, with validity assessment and testing in patients with anorexia nervosa and their parents/caregivers. Methods: The study included 58 adolescents with anorexia nervosa and 97 of their parents/guardians who constituted the main study groups, as well as 50 healthy adolescents and 89 of their parents/guardians as a control group. The full version of the 36-item DERS Emotional Regulation Difficulties Scale was used for validation. The study was conducted in compliance with basic bioethical standards. All patients consented to participate in the study, after which a full clinical examination was conducted: demographic data were collected and screening for emotional regulation disorders was performed using the DERS scale. Statistical analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS23 program. Results: The analysis of the data obtained showed high reliability and validity of the Ukrainian version of the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS) for screening emotional regulation disorders. Calculations of the α-Cronbach's coefficient based on the results of the test and retest (14 days later) confirmed the internal consistency of the DERS (0.7 and 0.7, respectively). The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.976 (p<0.05) for adolescents and 0.987 (p>0.05) for adults. Student's paired t-test did not reveal significant differences between the test-retest groups (p>0.05). Subsequently, a study to validate the DERS scale was conducted on adolescents with anorexia nervosa and their parents/guardians. Our results of the DERS survey showed significantly higher scores on the total DERS score in patients with anorexia nervosa (143.70±11.170) and their parents/guardians (141.85±11. 006) compared to healthy adolescents (54.23±6.01) and their parents/guardians (47.61±7.87) of the control group, p<0.0001, indicating a high level of emotional regulation disorder in patients with anorexia nervosa and their parents/guardians. Conclusions: The Ukrainian version of the DERS emotional regulation difficulty scale was created and cross-cultural adaptation was performed for further use in the Ukrainian-speaking population. The Ukrainian version of the DERS scale has a sufficient level of reliability that allows it to be used for scientific purposes and in clinical practice.

There is growing support for considering Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) as an effective approach to improving physical and psychological symptoms in eating disorders (ED), but additional evidence is needed. The current study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a DMT intervention for inpatients with ED during an in-hospital rehabilitation program for ED in reducing emotion dysregulation and alexithymia and improving interoceptive awareness. Forty-nine consecutive inpatient young women with ED (aged between 18 and 34 years) recruited from a clinical center for the rehabilitation of obesity and ED received four group sessions of DMT intervention. All participants completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), and the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness Scale (MAIA) before (Time 0) and after the intervention (Time 1). Paired-sample t-tests were run to assess differences between Time 0 to Time 1. From pre-to-post interventions, there was a significant reduction in the means of all of the subscales of DERS, suggesting an improvement in emotion regulation competencies, with the only exception for difficulties in awareness that increased (p = 0.016). We also found a significant reduction in alexithymia, as proved by significant differences in all of the subscales and the total score of TAS (p < 0.001), and significant improvements in interoceptive awareness as suggested by increased scores of the noticing (p = 0.043), emotional awareness (p < 0.001), body listening (p < 0.001), and trusting (p < 0.001) subscales of MAIA. Overall, our results point towards the efficacy of dance/movement in reducing symptoms of eating disorders. Our findings also suggest that dancing can be considered a useful intervention to increase emotional regulation, reduce alexithymia, and enhance interoceptive awareness.

Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) is an established treatment in mental health care for clients with a personality disorder (PD). Literature on DMT and personality disorder shows that self-regulation, interpersonal relationships, and cognition are key objectives to focus on during the clinical application of DMT for PD. To date, no systematic descriptions of DMT interventions for PD are available. A systematic review of the literature concluded that DMT interventions in PD mainly covered body-oriented approaches and cognitive strategies. This study aimed to collect opinions from expert dance movement therapists on applications of a DMT intervention for PD, and more specifically, the use of dance-informed procedures, such as improvisation and choreography. A Delphi approach was used to arrive at a consensus between five participants (DMT experts). From these findings, a systematised intervention description is presented for clinical application of DMT for PD clients that can be implemented and used for efficacy research. The intervention consists of three phases, with a focus on (I) embodied presence and somatic/sensory awareness, (II) dance improvisation and (III) choreography. These foci could enhance (body) self-efficacy beliefs, emotion regulation, the integration of experiences and healthy interpersonal functioning.

The profession of dance/movement therapy (DMT) has not recognized expressive, spoken language as an independent, viable outcome. The presence of only a single published case study on co-treatment of DMT and speech therapy highlights the glaring gap in the existing literature on this topic. While dance/movement therapists are trained to communicate with clients nonverbally, most individuals rely on spoken communication for everyday interactions. Hence, expanding the scope of practice from nonverbal to verbal expression is essential to facilitate generalization of therapeutic gains to settings beyond a DMT session. The purpose of this thesis was to systematically review and integrate literature from DMT and related fields (i.e., music therapy, speech and language therapy, human development, and special education) to understand how DMT could support the development of spoken language. Expressive aspects of spoken communication and a concentration on childhood were chosen as delimitations. An integrative review was undertaken to answer the research question 'What are the pathways through which dance/movement therapy can contribute to interventions for expressive, spoken language?" Following the organization of data into a literature matrix and a thematic analysis of it, four themes were identified: 1. Physiological basis of speech, 2. Cognitive processes involved in expressive, spoken language, 3. Social factors related to expressive, spoken language, and 4. Techniques for intervention. The first three themes indicated a need for bio-psycho-social goals and interventions. Physiological factors such as posture and breath support were recognized as directly addressing speech sound production. Cognitive and social factors including memory, regulation and expression of emotion, turn-taking, joint attention, and reading social cues were found to indirectly target the outcome. A combination of the factors under these themes affects what, when, and how a person chooses to communicate. The literature behind the fourth theme suggested techniques for interventions. Creativity, rhythm, synchrony, scaffolding, and client-directed approaches were found to be prevalent in interventions across multiple fields. These techniques, inherent in DMT, highlight its capacity to address expressive, spoken language as an outcome. Foundational concepts of dance/movement therapy and case vignettes based on clinical work were used to illustrate this argument.

This study evaluates students' emotion regulation ability during the first three years of study with a qualitative experimental approach in a within group design. The instrument used was James J. Gross' Emotion Regulation, which was translated into Bahasa Indonesia. This instrument includes two main aspects: Cognitive Reappraisal (6 items) and Expressive Suppression (4 items), with a total of 10 items. The validity and reliability of the instrument were tested using Rasch modeling through the Winsteps application. The results of the validity analysis showed 8 items were valid and 2 items required revision. Instrument reliability was measured by Cronbach's Alpha, resulting in a value of 0.79 (Good category) for the overall instrument, and a value of 0.97 (Excellent category) for item reliability. These validity and reliability tests ensure that the data collected is accurate, consistent, and reliable, so that this instrument can be used to measure students' level of emotion regulation. Keywords: emotional regulation, rasch model, emotional regulation scale, college students

This theoretical work examines the question of how dance/movement therapy (DMT) might be applied to support the development of emotion regulation in maltreated children, specifically in the context of residential treatment centers. As foundation for this discussion, literature pertaining to the ontogenesis of adaptive emotion regulation and the consequences of early maltreatment on its development is reviewed. Also included is a summary of therapeutic approaches and residential treatment models that address emotion regulation in children. A theoretical framework for promoting emotion regulation in maltreated children based on DMT principles and an accompanying residential treatment application is proposed.

The role of dance movement therapy in enhancing emotional regulation: A literature review

This research aims to explore the effectiveness of a Chinese classical dance therapy group on college students’ self-awareness and emotion regulation. A pretest and quasi-experimental design was used for this study, with 172 college students in China as the research object. The experimental group underwent Chinese classical dance therapy twice every week, three hours every time, until eighteen hours later; meanwhile, the control group did not handle or train. Members of the two groups were tested before and after the "Introspection Scale", "Body Awareness Scale" and "Emotional Regulation Scale", and statistical tests were performed by single-factor covariate analysis (ANOVA) to evaluate the effectiveness of experimental processing. The study found the following: 1. College students participating in the study of Chinese classical dance therapy groups are generally satisfied with or agree with the content of the Chinese classical dance therapy group scheme designed in this study. 2. The Chinese classical dance therapy group can enhance the daily life awareness of college students. 3. The Chinese classical dance therapy group can improve the overall physical awareness, physical use, muscle tension, and physical control of university students. 4. The Chinese classical dance therapy group can increase the awareness of college students that breathing can help relax the body. 5. The Chinese classical dance therapy group can improve the overall emotional regulation and emotional reflection of college students. 6. The Chinese classical dance therapy group can improve college students' emotion adjustment strategies and has a tracking effect on emotional awareness and emotional efficacy. The research results can provide references and suggestions for psychological counseling practitioners and future research.

Background: COVID-19 is an infectious illness caused by a newly discovered corona virus now called severe acute respiratory syndrome. Nurses are providing front line care for patients with COVID-19 that require hospitalization. So, studying of nurses’ knowledge of the COVID-19, risk perception, preventive behaviors and emotional regulation is necessary since COVID-19 is currently spreading in hospitals and all over the world. Aim: assess nurses' knowledge, risk perception, preventive behaviors and emotional regulation regarding COVID-19. Design: A descriptive exploratory research design was used to achieve the aim of this study. Settings: This study was conducted at seven isolation hospitals in seven Egyptian governorates. Study subjects: a purposive sample of 140 nurses working in isolation hospitals in Egypt Governorates. Tools: Nurses’ demographic characteristics assessment questionnaire, nurses’ self-administered assessment questionnaire, nurses' preventive behavior assessment tool, nurses’ risk perception assessment tool and nurses’ emotional regulation scale. Results: more than two thirds of nurses were females; the majority of the nurses had satisfactory level of knowledge regarding COVID-19. Concerning preventive behavior, the majority of nurses had good preventive behavior regarding COVID-19, while more than one third of nurses had poor level of risk perception. Regarding emotional regulation more than two thirds of nurses had good level of emotional regulation. Conclusion: The majority of the nurses had satisfactory levels of knowledge, good level of preventive behavior and risk perception of dealing with COVID-19 patients, and they also have good levels of emotional regulation, which are reflected positively in dealing and caring COVID-19 patients in isolation hospitals. Recommendations: Infection control courses should be implemented for all the nurses working in isolation hospitals before dealing with COVID 19 patients. Providing emotional and psychological support for nurses should be done to increase the emotional regulation

A pilot study to promote mental health by developing emotional awareness and regulation in college students

BackgroundPatients with depression struggle with significant emotion regulation difficulties, which adversely affect their psychological well-being and hinder recovery. Traditional therapeutic approaches often fail to adequately address these challenges, leading to a persistent gap in effective mental health care. This research seeks to address this gap by investigating the impact of emotion regulation skills training on patients with depression.AimTo assess the difficulties in emotion regulation among patients with depression and evaluate the impact of an emotion regulation skills training intervention on those with higher levels of emotion regulation difficulties, specifically focusing on increasing the use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies and reducing the use of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies.MethodA quasi-experimental research design was utilized, using three tools: a socio-demographic and Clinical Data structured interview schedule, Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale, and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Eighty patients with depression were recruited to assess those with higher levels of emotion regulation difficulties; out of those with greater difficulties, 30 patients were chosen to participate in the emotion regulation skills training intervention.ResultThe 80 studied subjects' emotion regulation difficulties scores ranged from 158 to 169 (164.5 ± 3.21), and they indicated less use of adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and more use of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (56.07 ± 2.67). Regarding the intervention group, the overall mean score of the 30 patients’ emotion regulation difficulties decreased from 167.35 ± 2.21 pre-intervention to 105.85 ± 3.33 post-intervention (p < 0.0001). Cognitive emotion regulation total scores improved markedly from 54.07 ± 1.66 to 35.2 ± 3.46 (p < 0.01).ImplicationHealthcare providers should routinely assess emotion regulation difficulties in patients with depression and integrate personalized treatment plans that target individual emotion regulation difficulties.ConclusionThe findings suggest that the emotion regulation intervention has the potential to improve emotion regulation difficulties and cognitive emotion regulation strategies among patients with depression.

This study aims to explore the predictive role of emotional regulation, anger management style and traumatic experience on Non-suicidal Self-injury (NSSI) behaviour and whether NSSI varies depending on the gender and age of the university students. In addition to this purpose, the gender and age of university students were examined in terms of their relations with the relevant variables. The study is in the realm of the quantitative research which was conducted with 564 university students (female n=492; male n=72; X=20.88). The data were collected through five data collection tools; The Inventory of Statements about Self-Injury Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Trait Anger and Anger Expression Scale and Impact of Event Scale-Revised as well as the Demographic Information Form. The results of the stepwise regression analyses show that the predictor variables of NSSI are the traumatic experiences, lack of emotion regulation skills and trait anger (F(3,560)=24.14, p

Psychiatric and psychological features of children at high-risk for bipolar disorder