Group Dance Therapy Intervention About Stress For High School Students

This study includes two parts: The main part is a group dance therapy intervention about stress for high school students, which is based on the first survey which was investigating the conditions of high school students’ psychological pressure, and reveals its effect by quantitative and qualitative research.By using the tool of The pressure source questionnaire of middle school students, the first research investigates the condition of high school students’ pressure. The results showed that:1. The scale showed the pressure level of different source in high school, from top to bottom, which are learning, self-development, peer, family, teachers, the parental rearing patterns and the society and culture.2. There was no significant difference of the general pressure scores in genders. However, higher scores were found in the factors of the pressure from self-development and the parental rearing patterns among males.3. There was significant difference of the general pressure scores in grade(grade3>grade2 and grade1). Higher scores were found in the factors of learning, peer, family, teachers, parental rearing patterns and the society and culture among grade3.In second research, the subjects from a high school in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province(n=36)were divided into two groups: group A(group dance therapy intervention, n=18) and group B(mental health class, n=18), which are different intervention to release pressure. The findings of the research can be summarized as follows.4. Both of the two ways(group dance therapy intervention and mental health class) have positive effects in release pressure. And scores of general pressure of group A was significantly lower than group B, so it indicated that group A had a positive changes more than group B.5. Dance therapy intervention reduces the pressure from learning, family, classmates and friends, self-development, teachers, and the society and culture.6. Psychological health class intervention reduces the pressure from self-development. Independent-Samples T test analysis indicated that group A had comprehensive and positive changes more than group B.7. The results of qualitative research showed that, dance therapy intervention improves five levels, like physical level, emotional level, the feeling of pressure, the feeling of life and the skills of how to release pressure. Compared with group A, mental health class intervention improves three levels, like emotional level, the feeling of pressure and the skills of how to release pressure.8. The results of qualitative research showed that, because of lively curriculum and deep intervention, students prefer to participate dance movement therapy.