'I Left My Old Self in the Training Session and Came Back With a New One': Positive Behavioural Changes Among Young Male Participants of Psychodrama Intervention Living in an Urban Slum in Bangladesh.

This article examines the effects of culturally contextualized sociodrama and psychodrama interventions on young men’s attitudes and behaviors related to gender norms and gender-based violence (GBV) in an urban slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Based on in-depth interviews with 12 male participants and 20 of their close female family members, the study found that these interventions fostered positive changes including increased empathy, temper management, respect toward women and others, participation in household chores, favorable attitudes toward condom use, reduced sexual harassment, and decreased drug abuse. Despite some resistance from a minority of participants adhering to traditional patriarchal norms, the findings suggest that sociodrama and psychodrama may be promising approaches to addressing GBV by challenging toxic masculinity and promoting gender-equitable behaviors in this context. The study highlights the importance of men’s engagement in GBV prevention and the potential for these drama-based methods to support behavioral change in low-income urban settings.