The Effects of Dance Movement Psychotherapy on the Reduction of Loneliness and Helplessness of the Rural Elderly Women

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to verify the positive effect of Dance/Movement Therapy for the women who are experiencing alienation and depression in a rural community through an analysis before and after DMT. The sample of the study consisted 2 groups in a town in Chung nam province with 12 aged females each. One group was a test group and the other one was a control group. The test group had undergone 30 times of DMT in twice a week for 15 weeks while the control group didn't have any therapy program. Except 3 people who couldn't finish the whole process due to personal matters, the samples used in the final analysis were 12 people from the control and the test group. Considering the Korean social background, the researcher used the study which was modified by Park Insu for UCLA Loneliness Scale(Rusell 1996) along with the research(2009), Jeong Seungeun has developed and used by Jeong Jinyoung for the test of depression. To sum up the result of the study, there was a significant difference between the control group and the test group's extent of depression and alienation experienced after the intervention. To measure the effect of DMT to the samples, an examination conducted before and after the therapy. The test group made a significant improvement in the examination after they have finished the program while the control group didn't make any difference. The result of this study shows that the average of the test group's extent of depression and alienation experienced made a significant difference between the result of the examination and after the program. The conclusion of the study is that DMT can have a positive effect on the women who are experiencing alienation and depression in rural communities. DMT can provide opportunities for the women living in rural communities physical activities which help them have positive minds, feelings of achievement and confidence, active life that can give generative power for them in their social relationships and friendships so that they would feel less alienation and depression than before. Therefore programs should be developed for the women in rural communities considering various physical movements and related to the psychology about their depression and alienation and continued the study for the long term effect and to know the moment that the effect disappears.