The Effectiveness of Psychodrama Applied To Children Aged 4−12 : A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Children experiencing internalized or externalized behavioral problems are likely to seek psychological support. Psychodrama, which enables issues to be acted out rather than merely discussed, stands out as an effective psychotherapy method for children in this context. This study aims to systematically review empirical evidence examining the effect of psychodrama interventions on internalized and externalized behaviors in children aged 4–12. This study searched for experimental studies published in English in peer-reviewed journals, indexed in EBSCOhost, Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and ERIC databases, between 2001 and 2025, examining the effectiveness of psychodrama on children. The findings suggest that psychodrama is effective in reducing externalized behaviors, such as aggression, in children, while also developing their social-emotional skills, including emotion regulation, self-perception, empathy, and communication. The selection bias, performance bias, and attribution bias dimensions of the included studies were uncertain or high risk, which is reflected in the recommendations for careful interpretation of the results. In conclusion, the findings indicate that psychodrama is a sensitive and effective intervention method for addressing internalized and externalized behavioral problems in childhood. However, future research should focus on increasing methodological transparency and strengthening experimental designs.