Psychodrama for Mental Health Promotion in Nursing Students (PD-NURS)

January 20, 2026 updated by: ÖZGE KARACA, Marmara University

The Effect of Psychodrama on Mental Health Promotion in Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial aimed to examine the effect of a psychodrama group intervention on mental health promotion among nursing students. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group received weekly psychodrama sessions for 12 weeks, while the control group prepared group presentations on the same themes without psychodrama techniques. Mental health promotion levels were assessed before and after the intervention using a validated scale.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study was designed as a randomized controlled trial conducted among nursing students. Participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group participated in a psychodrama group intervention consisting of 12 weekly sessions, each lasting approximately 120-150 minutes. Sessions were facilitated by a trained psychodramatist and followed the classical psychodrama structure, including warm-up, action, and sharing phases.

The control group participated in weekly group presentations and discussions on the same themes as the intervention group but did not receive any psychodrama techniques. Mental health promotion levels were assessed before and after the intervention using the validated Mental Health Promotion Scale.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

55

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Kağıthane
      • Istanbul, Kağıthane, Turkey (Türkiye), 34406
        • Istanbul Kent University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being a nursing student
  • Aged 18 years or older
  • Voluntary participation in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Being under 18 years of age
  • Not being a nursing student

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Psychodrama Group
Participants in this group received a structured psychodrama-based group intervention conducted once weekly for 12 weeks. The program was organized around thematic sessions including communication skills, self-awareness, self-esteem, personal development, values, family and close relationships, peer relationships, stress coping, anger management, assertiveness, sexuality, and physical well-being. Sessions involved experiential psychodramatic techniques such as role-playing, group games, and guided enactments aimed at enhancing emotional expression, interpersonal awareness, coping skills, and mental health promotion.
Behavioral: Psychodrama Group
A psychodrama-based group intervention delivered in weekly sessions, using experiential techniques such as role-playing and guided enactments to support mental health promotion.
Active Comparator: Presentation Group
Participants in this group participated in weekly group sessions conducted concurrently with the intervention group for 12 weeks. Students prepared and delivered group presentations on topics aligned with the themes addressed in the psychodrama sessions. Presentations were shared in a classroom setting and followed by moderated group discussions. No psychodrama techniques, role-playing, or dramatic enactments were used.
Behavioral: Presentation Group
Participants received a group-based educational intervention delivered once weekly for 12 weeks. Students prepared group presentations based on themes related to mental health promotion, which were presented in a classroom setting and followed by moderated group discussions. Psychodrama techniques, role-playing, or dramatic enactments were not used.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mental Health Promotion Level
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after the 12-week intervention
Mental health promotion levels were assessed before and after the intervention using the Mental Health Promotion Scale, a validated self-report instrument.
Baseline and immediately after the 12-week intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Marmara University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Çağlar Şimşek, PhD, Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Health

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

March 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 31, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

May 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 20, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 20, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 28, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 28, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 20, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • PD-NURS-2024-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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