Graduation Year
2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ph.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Mental Health Law and Policy
Major Professor
Kyaien Conner, Ph.D.
Co-Major Professor
Kathleen Moore, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Merry Lynn Morris, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Jamie Holloway, Ph.D.
Keywords
Anxiety, Children, Community Dance, Dance Fundamental Movement Skills, Depression
Abstract
Anxiety and depression are highly prevalent mental health conditions in children. Rates of both disorders are rising, surpassing the capacity of available treatment services (albertapatients, 2022; Edwardson, 2022; Statistics Canada, 2020). Lack of treatment can often result in worsening of symptoms towards serious long-term effects (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). Additional treatment supports must be made available. The goal of this doctoral research is to examine the feasibility and acceptability of genre-inclusive dance as a psychosocial intervention for anxiety and depression in children. The first manuscript of this doctoral work shares lessons learned in a program evaluation using the Footprints Movement Tool (FMT) as an after-school dance class for elementary school children. The subsequent mixed-methods pilot study used the FMT as a 14-week intervention for children (aged 8 to 10 years) displaying symptoms of depression and/or anxiety disorders in screening results of the Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale, parent report. The quantitative results for feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the FMT are discussed in Manuscript 2, with participant experiences and stakeholder perspectives discussed qualitatively in Manuscript 3. Challenges with conducting this work post-COVID-19 are discussed in Manuscript 3 using interviews conducted with other community dance providers, with strategies proposed for future success. The intervention was acceptable for all stakeholders. It showed promising results reducing parent-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, and thus merits further exploration. Study findings indicate that this intervention could be a feasible and viable method of significantly improving children’s mental health.
Scholar Commons Citation
Patterson-Price, Juanita, "Feasibility and Acceptability of a Dance Fundamental Movement Skill Intervention for Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in Children" (2023). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10736
