The purpose of this study was to examine the results of domestic theses, dissertations and academic
journals about the effects of group art therapy programs on self-related variables, which were presented and
issued between 2001 and 2013. 158 research papers were finally selected according to the tertiary selection
criteria. The findings of the study were as follows: First, the overall mean effect size of the group art
therapy programs was .971 when a fixed-effects model was used to estimate it. Second, as for mean effect
sizes by self-related variables, the mean effect size of the programs was greatest in terms of self-esteem,
followed by self-expression, self-concept, self-efficacy and ego-identity. Third, concerning effect sizes by the
subject of intervention, the effect size of the programs was greater, according to the gender of subjects, the
effect size of the programs was greatest in mixed-gender groups of subjects, and the type of subjects, that
of the programs was largest in the underprivileged classes, and age, that of the programs was largest in
adulthood. Fourth, regarding effect sizes by the intervening variables including group size, the effect size of
the programs was greatest in the groups of 10 or less, according to the number of sessions, that was
largest in 11~15 sessions, and the number of weekly sessions, that was greatest when they were conducted
once a week. As to the length of a session, that was largest when a session run 121 minutes or more. By
scale, that was largest when the other scales of self-expression, followed by the other scales of
self-conception, domestic self-efficacy scales, self-esteem inventories(SEI), and foreign ego-identity scales.