This study examined if a group art therapy program using reminiscence therapy could cause any
effects on the psychological well-being and hopelessness depression of the elderly with chronic illness.
The participants of this study were twelve inmates at a nursing home located in city J, Chungchongbuk-
do, all of them over 75 years-old with chronic illness. They were divided into two groups of six: the
experimental group which received the group art therapy program using reminiscence therapy, and the
control group which did not receive it. The program lasted from April 21st, 2009 to July, 21st 2009. The
experimental received a total of 15 sessions, each session 90 minutes long. Measurement of the inmates'
psychological well-being and hopelessness depression was conducted at a pre, post and follow-up scale
test, and the results were statistically analyzed. In addition, Mandala picture test was conducted in a pre,
post and follow up design to complement the limit of paper-based scale tests, but it was excluded from
the study as two of the inmates were later hospitalized. Mann-Whitney U test was computed to check
the homogeneity of the control and experimental group. Wilcoxon singed rank test was computed for the
statistical analysis of this study. The findings of this study are as follows. First, the treatment program
caused positive effects on the psychological well-being of the nursing home inmates with chronic illness.
Second, the effects of the treatment program on the hopelessness depression of the nursing home inmates
was not statistically significant, but later an increase in the further scores of their preception problems
and self-esteem was found. Third, the treatment program fostered creativity and initiatives in the inmates
as they came to express their emotions, sentiments, and conflicts frequently in linguistically visual words
along the therapy sessions.