Background: Depression, a pervasive mental health challenge among college students, necessitates innovative interventions that move beyond conventional paradigms. While widely used, approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) often demonstrate modest effect sizes and a disembodied methodology. Positive psychodrama (PPD) emerges as a promising integrative, integrating the health promotion principles of positive psychology with the embodied action techniques of psychodrama. This dual-focus framework aims not only at symptom reduction but also at the cultivation of holistic well-being. This study empirically investigates and verifies the intervention effects of positive psychodrama on alleviating depressive symptoms in college students.
Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 60 college students with depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥5; 65% female, Mage = 23.58) were allocated to a two-day PPD intervention (n = 28) or a waitlist control group (n = 32). Depressive symptoms, core self-evaluations, spontaneity, and life satisfaction were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, 7-day follow-up, and 2-month follow-up.
Results: The PPD group demonstrated significant reductions in depressive severity post-intervention (Cohen's d = 1.444, p < .001), with sustained effects at 7-day (d = 0.961, p < .001) and 2-month (d = 0.746, p <. 05) follow-ups. Clinically meaningful remission (85.71%) and response rates (78.57%) were observed.
Limitations: The generalizability of the findings is constrained by the modest sample size, lack of an active control group, reliance on self-reported measures, and cultural specificity to Chinese students.
Conclusion: This study highlights PPD as a scalable and transdiagnostic intervention. By integrating trauma processing, strengths-based role-playing, and future-oriented rehearsals, PPD bridges symptom alleviation with health promotion. Future research should examine its cross-cultural applicability, underlying mechanism, and efficacy compared to existing evidence-based therapies.