A social perception about single mothers whose number has been rapidly increased since 1970 is still negative although people have been interested in them and tried to consider them not as simply an individual problem but as social structural view.
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A social perception about single mothers whose number has been rapidly increased since 1970 is still negative although people have been interested in them and tried to consider them not as simply an individual problem but as social structural view.
Single mother's pregnancy and childbirth which accompany various emotional problems need immediate intervention; especially in the case of adoption, mother gets psychological traumatic stress by experiencing sense of lose, as a result there is a possibility that they are likely to suffer from social maladjustments. In spite of intervention's necessity, it is difficult to supply practical supports because of single mother's exclusive and isolated characteristics. As a result, development or application of program for relieving single mother's suffering and mental conflict is insufficient.
Therefore this study aimed to verify the effect of group theraplay program for single mothers in a group home; in particular, effects on their attachment security and self-efficacy.
The subjects of this study were selected by considering reports from group home officials and getting agreements of single mothers who had intentions of participating in group theraplay program and lived in single mother's care facility located in Gyeonggi-do. The subjects were 12 single mothers who were selected regardless of their age and characteristics. They were assigned as an experimental group of 6 single mothers and a control group of the same number. The experimental group had 14 sessions in total including pre-and-post tests and each session lasting for 50 minutes. During the program, three assistant coordinators mastering in child-family psychotherapy, participated in theraplay to record subjects' behavioral changes.
The group theraplay program was performed including four principles of theraplay - engagement, structure, nurture and challenge. Considering the subject's trait, excessive challenge activity which could influence negatively on fetus was excluded and adjusted as proper challenge activity. During the program they made a small group or a pair.
Experiences in Close Relationship (ECR) and Self-Efficacy Scale(SES) were used as a research tool in order to investigate single mother's attachment security. Also, Wilcoxon's signed-rank test of a nonparametric test was carried out by using SPSS 19.0 in order to compare pre-and-post attachment security and self-efficacy level with each other. Also subjects' behavioral changes during the process of group theraplay program were observed and analyzed per session.
The summary of the research's results is as follows:
First, group theraplay program promotes attachment security of single mothers in a group home. Before and after carrying out group theraplay program, significant statistical results came out in difference of an attachment security level and significant increase appeared compared to the control group.
Second, group theraplay program enhances self-efficacy of single mothers in a group home. Before and after carrying out group theraplay program, significant statistical results came out in difference of a self-efficacy level and significant increase appeared compared to the control group.
Third, behaviors of single mothers in a group home gradually changed to positive way throughout the whole group theraplay program processes. There was significant difference in the score of behavioral change's subfield between the first session and the last one. In addition, as the sessions progressed, there was distinct behavior improvement in subfield related to attachment.
As examined above, the research has verified its effects by clarifying research results that group theraplay program increased the attachment security and self-efficacy of single mothers in a group home.
Advanced research until now has focused on mother-child relationship or targeted preschoolers, children and adolescents. Unlike early studies, the present research has an importance in providing the program which subjected single mother who is an adult that hasn't been studied enough. Additionally, the study has significance by suggesting the program composed of specialized one with single mother's traits.