집단미술치료가 독거노인의 무망감우울증에 미치는 효과

Abstract

This study aims to identify the effect of group art therapy on the hopelessness depression of solitary elderly people, recognizing hopelessness depression of the solitary elderly as a social problem. For this purpose, we provided group art therapy as a psychological approach to solving the problem. First we selected as subjects solitary elderly who use the senior welfare institute in Gwangju. Then we conducted a hopelessness depression scale test. We divided subjects into a test group and a control group consisting of six people who scored more than 30 on the hopelessness depression scale. We provided group art therapy with the test group during 15 sessions, from April 3rd, 2008, to July 10rd, 2008. We used the hopelessness depression scale standardized by Lee, Young-Ho as a measuring tool to demonstrate the effect of the therapy and carried a t-test to demonstrate the result statistically. The results of the study are summarized as follows: First, after the Group Art Therapy, the scale of opelessness depression in the test group decreased significantly in comparison with that before the group art therapy. However, the control group that did not have the therapy increased on the hopelessness depression scale. This indicates that the group art therapy was effective in decreasing hopelessness depression in the test subjects. Second, the post-marks were low in all four test factors: recognition , emotional symptoms, motivation symptoms, and low self-esteem. These are sub-variables of hopelessness depression. In particular, the control group showed significant increase in the sub-variables, especially The positive influence on the sub-variables and the remarkable difference between the test group and the control group after the art therapy proves the efficacy of the therapy. Based on the results, we have concluded that the group art therapy decreases the hopelessness depression of the solitary elderly. This means that when art media was used for solitary elderly people who were not familiar with expressing their feelings non-verbally, the elderly were able to reveal their feelings naturally through art activities and obtain catharsis and emotional stability through emotional exchange. Subjects drew pictures or communicated with each other using the same themes, by which they came to have community spirit and were encouraged to understand themselves and have positive self-recognition based on interaction and feedback. It is believed that the elderly subjects can understand how other people with the same conditions recognize their problems and solve the problems through the group art therapy both consciously and unconsciously. Through this they have natural bonding with others to relieve their psychological anxiety.