The effects of therapeutic group drumming with Korean middle school students on aggression as related to school violence prevention

Abstract

This study examined which of three interventions was most effective in reducing aggression in middle school students in Korea: a lecture-based general prevention program, a therapeutic drumming group featuring collaborative work between a school music teacher and a music therapist, or an education-based drumming group. A non-randomized Repeated Measured ANOVA with one repeated factor and one between-groups factor was conducted to look for any statistically significant differences among the three groups (general prevention group, therapeutic drumming group, and education-based drumming group), between pre-and post-test, or in the interaction between group and time. The Korean version of the Aggression Questionnaire and its four subscales (physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility) were examined in mixed models by time, group, and the interaction between time and group. Participants (N = 231) were the whole third-year classes of an urban middle school in Korea. The results suggested a significant Time × Group interaction on total Aggression scores, as well as on the physical aggression and hostility sub-scale scores; no significant differences were found for the verbal aggression or anger sub-scale scores. Post hoc analysis revealed that the therapeutic drumming group had significant reductions in total aggression scores and on the subscales of physical aggression and hostility compared to the education-based drumming group; however, no significant differences were found between the therapeutic drumming group and the general lecture group. These findings indicate that collaborations between school music teachers and music therapists may be used effectively to mitigate aggression related to school violence in middle school students in Korea.