The purposes of this study are to reduce the psychological problems of those with mental disabilities who are preparing to reenter society, while being cared for in mental health centers, through group art therapy using dyeing and to help them enhance their self-efficacy and social adjustment and have a satisfactory social life. The subjects of the study were five females with mental disorders who were preparing for social life in S center. To test the validity of the study, the subjects were categorized into a control group and a experimental group, and the therapy program was done with the experimental group once a week for 60 minutes per session and lasted 21 sessions. The study tried to decrease the psychological difficulties of the subjects by approaching the psychological factors such as loss of energy, difficulty in interpersonal relationships, low self-esteem and self-efficacy, and sensitivity to change through the medium of dyeing. The subjects were encouraged to have active interaction and connectiveness with their dyeing group members and perceive themselves as positive to enhance their self-confidence and self-efficacy.
The study was conducted under the assumption that the therapy would inspire the subjects to express themselves naturally and have a positive effect on their interpersonal relationships and sociability. The instruments used in the study were the SES and the KIIP for quantitative analysis and the K-HTP and LMT for qualitative analysis. The results of the study are presented as follows:
First, it was discovered that the group art therapy program using dyeing had a significant effect on the self-efficacy of the subjects and enhanced their self-control and self-confidence in subscales.
Second, it was discovered that the program had no significant effect on the total interpersonal relationships of the subjects, but of 8 subscales, it had a significant effect on control, indifference, social checks, and non-assertiveness.
Third, it was discovered that dyeing, used in the program, had good efficiency as a therapeutic means.
Fourth, it was discovered that the program helped the subjects gain psychological stability and enhance their interaction with others so they could have good connectiveness.
Based on the results above, it was shown that group art therapy using dyeing had a positive effect on the self-efficacy and sociability of the subjects. However, due to the limits of this study which was applied only to females with mental disorders, it is suggested that further studies should include more diverse subjects including males. This study has meaning in that it proposed the possibility of applying dyeing as a therapy program by proving its efficiency on self-efficacy and interpersonal problems.