This research has been made to observe how art therapies affect single mothers’ self-respect, depression and anxiety.
The surveys were conducted on 5 women who were pregnant or had already given birth:
Some of them were teenagers and the others were in their twenties. They were selected
from 30 women at Chungbuk “J” facilities. The result was from 22 sessions of study with
them: once a week, 90 minutes for each time. The methods of this study are from Hare,
B. R.; Hare Self- Esteem Scale(Hss. 1985), StateㅡTrait Anxiety Inventory(STAI), Back
Depression inventory (BDI) and DAP(Odomo,1956).
The results are as follows:
First, the art therapy helped that the single mothers had self-respect.
The art therapy, in details, made peer group self-respect increase from the average of
12.8(1.64)―which was before the therapy―to the average of 20.4(1.67)―which was after the
therapy. The average point(7.8) was increased. For domestic self-respect, it showed an
increase from the average of 9.2(1.48) to 11.4(2.07), which made an average of 2.2 increase
after the therapy. Also, for academic self-respect, it showed an increase from the average
of 9.2(2.88) to 14.4(3.29), which made an average of 4.8 increase after the therapy.
Therefore, it proves that the art therapy affects on the self-respect.
Second, the group art therapy helped the single mothers lessen their depression.
Before the therapy, the single mothers’ depression level was 22.4(3.97) on the average.
After the therapy, however, the average decreased to 13.6(3.21), which made a 8.8 decrease.
Third, the group art therapy helped to lessen the single mothers’ anxieties.
Before the therapy, the single mothers anxiety level was 48.6(2.30) on the average, but it
decreased down to the average of 39.4(2.70). This is a 9.2 decrease on the average.
These results showed that the self-respect of five single mothers was improved while their depressions and anxieties was lessened through the art therapy. Therefore we can say
it is useful to use the group art therapy to help single mothers have relax and rest.
Key Words : The group art therapy, Single mothers, Depression, Anxiety