Effects of group work incorporating dance movement therapy techniques on negative symptoms and disability in individuals with schizophrenia: a randomised controlled study

Dance movement therapy techniques may offer a supportive approach to addressing negative symptoms and disability in individuals with schizophrenia. This study examined the effects of group work incorporating dance movement therapy techniques on negative symptoms and disability in individuals with schizophrenia using a randomised controlled design with repeated measures. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 15) or a control group (n = 15). Following the intervention, negative symptoms and disability scores in the intervention group decreased significantly and were lower than those in the control group at follow-up. The strongest effects were observed for affective flattening or blunting among negative symptoms and mobility among disability symptoms. These preliminary findings suggest that group work incorporating dance movement therapy techniques may be a promising supportive approach for reducing negative symptoms and disability in individuals with schizophrenia.