The short term effect of a group drumming intervention on aggressive behaviour among adolescent girls diagnosed with conduct disorder

Abstract

Aggressive behaviour is a primary symptom of conduct disorder and is one of the strongest predictors of criminality in individuals with conduct disorder. There is a need for appropriate interventions targeting aggressive behaviour among adolescents with conduct disorder that is relevant to the diverse South African population. Occupational therapists can utilise drumming as an occupation-based intervention medium to this end. This study reports on the short term effect of a group drumming intervention programme for aggressive behaviour among adolescent girls (13 to 18 years) diagnosed with conduct disorder at a school for girls with behavioural problems in the Free State. An experimental, randomised pre-test post-test control group design was used. The intervention group (n=13) was exposed to a three week drumming intervention while their matched controls (n=13) continued with their normal daily programme. Both groups completed the Aggression Scale questionnaire before and after the intervention. The median Aggression Scale score of the intervention group showed a marked decrease from 20 to 7 from the pre-test to the post-test, although this difference was not statistically significant (95% CI [-13;5]). The median difference between the post-test scores for the control and intervention groups did, however, reveal a statistically significant difference in the levels of aggression experienced by the respective groups after the intervention (95% CI [-28;-3]). This study therefore delivered promising results suggesting that group drumming can be an effective intervention for the reduction of aggression among adolescent girls diagnosed with conduct disorder. Key words: Aggression; conduct disorder; adolescent girls; occupational therapy; group drumming