Can the Forum Theatre Technique be Effective on the Beliefs Towards Mental Illness and Attitudes Related to Seeking Psychological Help?

Abstract

The aim of this study is to predict whether the Forum Theatre technique can be effective on 7th grade adolescents beliefs towards mental illnesses and towards seeking of psychological help. Pre-test post-test experimental design was used. 73 seventh-grade students in Istanbul were studied. The Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help (ASPH) and the Beliefs Toward Mental Illness (BMI) scales were used. Matching sociodemographic data and pre-test measurements were insured between the experimental and control groups. Following the pre-term, the experimental group were taken to the Forum Theatre at the school conference hall. Both groups were taken to the post-test application four days after the pre-test measurements. No intervention was made on the control group between the pre-test and post- test measurements. The control group Forum Theatre application was carried out 3 months later. The research results were interpreted using qualitative and quantitative data analysis methods. The findings of the research indicate that the Forum Theatre application did not create a significant difference between the two groups and their beliefs about mental illness. In addition to this, when comparing the pretest and post-test findings within the experimental group of the Forum Theatre application, a statistically significant difference was found for the BMI sub-scale Dangerous. A significant difference was seen between the two groups in their post-test measurements regarding their attitudes toward seeking psychological help. In addition to this the NBTCP sub scale average score of the experimental group has been found to be significantly higher when compared to the control group score.