This study was performed for two purposes. One is to explain the effect of group art
therapy with schizophrenic inpatients on social skills and symptoms. The other is to explore
changes of the characteristic trends in drawings by the schizophrenic inpatients along the
group art therapy program.
The subjects for this study were 32 schizophrenic inpatients. 16 patients belonged to the
experimental group, and the rest belonged to the controlled group. Experimental group
members participated in the group art therapy twice a week for 22 sessions. Each session
lasted 70 minutes. To confirm the effect of the group art therapy, the members of the
experimental group and the controlled group had the Social Skills Scale test and the
Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale test before and after the group art therapy program.
The statistical method adopted for data analysis was the t-test. To explore changes of the
characteristic trends in drawings by the schizophrenic inpatients along the group art therapy
program, the LMT(Landscape Montage Technique) was employed during the 3rd, 8th, 13th,
17th and 21st session. The results of the LMT were qualitatively analyzed.
The results were as follows:
First, social skills were improved through group art therapy.
Second, negative symptoms and general psychopathological symptoms decreased through
group art therapy.
Third, group art therapy had no effects on positive symptoms.
Forth some characteristic trends of stylistic elements in drawings by the schizophrenic
inpatients decreased along with the group art therapy program. To show the process of the
changes in drawings, the results of the LMT in selected three subjects were analyzed.
Key Words : Group art therapy, Schizophrenic inpatients, Social skills