Objective: Social skills disturbance is the characteristic feature of schizophrenic patients. This study mainly aims to assess the effect of psychodrama on social skills and self-esteem increase of patients with schizophrenia (types I and II).
Materials & Methods: This is an experimental study. Statistical population included all male patients with schizophrenia whom were hospitalized within first half of 2005 in the psychiatric wards of Ardabil’s Isar hospital. Eighty persons from among them were randomly selected and assigned into four groups by balanced randomized method (20 persons in each group). For data collection, epidemiological information questionnaire, social skills inventory for schizophrenic patients and Rosenberg's self esteem questionnaire were applied. The accomplishment of psychodrama programs were done for experimental groups three time a week in 9 weeks time. Data were analyzed by Independent T test and two-factor ANOVA.
Results: There were significant differences between case and control groups of total patients, in mean scores difference of pretest and post test in social skills (P<0.001) and self esteem (P=0.005). There were significant differences between type I and type II experimental groups in the mean scores of social skills pretest (P=0.003) & post test (P<0.001) and their difference (P=0.009). Also there were significant differences between them in the mean scores of self-esteem pretest (P=0.005) and post test (P<0.001) and their difference (p=0.035). Difference of pretest and post test scores of social skills (P<0.001) and self steem (P<0.001) showed significant difference between experimental and control group of type I schizophrenic patients. Also there were these differences between experimental and control group of type II schizophrenic patients (P=0.01 & 0.03).
Conclusion: Execution of psychodrama significantly affects social skills and self-esteem of patients with schizophrenia. This is significantly higher in the patients of type I in comparison with type II.