This study is to investigate if art therapy is effective to reduce general behavioral problems of
adolescents with the experience of sexual abuse during childhood.
Study subject is a female middle schooler residing in an orphanage asylum, who has been
given total 22 sessions of art therapy with 1-2 sessions a week, each lasting 60-90 minutes.
Research instruments are K-CBCL(Child Behavior Checklist) for Children and Adolescents,
HTP as projection, and Pre- and Post-tests to indicate the changes before and after the program.
The results are as follows.
First, art therapy has proven to be effective to improve the behavioral problems of adolescents
with childhood sexual abuse.
Regarding sub-categories of K-CBCL for children and adolescents, reduced are behavioral
problems of withdrawl, misconduct, and aggression. Also reduced are internalizing and
externalizing behavior. Therefore, art therapy shows a general reduction in behavioral problems
in general.
As to the HTP test, it shows that the study subject with art therapy has improved personal
relationship of amiability toward her life in orphanage, of school and with friends of opposite
gender, which in turn gives her power to be determined to achieve the betterment of schoolwork and future course of life.
Key Words : Childhood Sexual Abuse, Adolescents, Generalized Problem Behavior, Art Therapy