Poetry therapy as a psychological treatment: a meta-analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5944/rdp.v36i131.39863Keywords:
efficacy, poem, psychology, mental health, treatmentAbstract
The development of poetry therapy has experienced significant growth in recent decades. No meta-analysis has evaluated the effects of poetry therapy as a psychological treatment, so the main objective of this study is to conduct a meta-analysis to determine whether the application of poetry therapy has a significant effect on the psychological well-being of individuals undergoing this treatment. Databases were used to locate empirical studies of poetry therapy interventions with experimental and control groups. Random effects models were used for analysis. Seven studies with 14 comparisons and 377 participants were included. The overall effect size was g = -1.12, with a 95% confidence interval of -1.72∼-.53, with high heterogeneity. Significant moderator variable effects were found. No publication bias was found. The results allow us to consider the use of poetry therapy as a modality of psychological intervention for people who need to improve their mental health.
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