NCT07241156

Creative Drama on Gender Role Stress, Attitudes Toward Violence Against Women, and Aggression

Determining the Impact of Creative Drama on Gender Role Stress, Attitudes Toward Violence Against Women, and Aggression Among Men Affected by an Earthquake:A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 75 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Ataturk University · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study aims to examine the effect of Creative Drama on gender role stress, attitudes toward violence against women, and aggression among men who experienced the February 6, 2023 earthquake in Türkiye (centered in Kahramanmaraş). A total of 75 men (25 experimental, 25 placebo, and 25 control) will participate in the study. The experimental group will take part in a creative drama program, the placebo group will watch films focusing on masculinity roles and violence for 10 weeks, and no intervention will be applied to the control group. Data will be collected using the Gender Role Stress Scale for Men, the Attitudes Toward Violence Against Women Scale, and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire - Short Form, and will be analyzed by an independent statistician. The study aims to enhance the psychological well-being of men affected by the earthquake in Türkiye, reduce violence against women, and contribute to gender equality.

Detailed description

On February 6, 2023, two major earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6 struck Türkiye, affecting 11 provinces, with Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Adıyaman, and Malatya among the most severely impacted regions. These disasters had profound psychosocial consequences, particularly for men exposed to trauma, displacement, and post-disaster stressors that may influence gender role stress, aggression, and attitudes toward violence against women. This study is designed as a randomized controlled experimental trial to examine the effectiveness of a Creative Drama-based psychosocial intervention among men who experienced the February 6 earthquake and currently reside in Malatya. The research will be conducted between November 2025 and December 2026. The intervention is structured around Creative Drama, an experiential and participatory method that combines role-playing, improvisation, group interaction, and reflective discussion. The Creative Drama program will consist of 10 weekly group sessions, each designed to encourage emotional expression, critical reflection on masculinity norms, awareness of gender roles, and non-violent coping strategies. Sessions will be conducted in small groups and facilitated by a trained researcher with experience in creative drama practices. To control for attention and group interaction effects, a placebo group will be included. Participants in this group will attend weekly sessions during which they will watch selected Turkish films addressing themes related to masculinity, gender roles, aggression, and violence against women. These sessions will not include structured discussion or therapeutic guidance. A control group will receive no intervention during the study period. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the three groups (experimental, placebo, or control) using a simple randomization procedure to ensure equal group sizes. Due to the nature of the intervention, blinding of participants and the researcher will not be possible. However, outcome data will be coded and analyzed by an independent statistician who will be blinded to group allocation. Data will be collected at baseline and after completion of the intervention using standardized and validated self-report instruments. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to the development of psychosocial interventions aimed at reducing gender role stress and aggressive behaviors, promoting gender equality, and preventing violence against women in post-disaster contexts.

Conditions

• Gender Role
• Aggression
• Violence

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Creative Drama Program	A structured 10-week Creative Drama program designed to reduce gender role stress, negative attitudes toward violence against women, and aggressive behaviors. Each session will include warm-up activities, improvisation, role-playing, and reflection components. Sessions will be conducted once a week for 90 minutes by a certified drama educator.
BEHAVIORAL	Film Viewing Sessions	Participants in the placebo group will watch 10 Turkish films over a 10-week period (one per week) that include themes of masculinity, gender roles, and violence. This intervention is designed as an attention-control condition to match the structure of the experimental group without providing therapeutic content.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-03-30
• Primary completion: 2026-04-30
• Completion: 2026-12-30
• First posted: 2025-11-21
• Last updated: 2026-04-09