ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of art therapy on juvenile delinquents, by reviewing studies in which art therapy was provided to adolescent delinquents who are in the process of rapid social and mental development. Curre...
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of art therapy on juvenile delinquents, by reviewing studies in which art therapy was provided to adolescent delinquents who are in the process of rapid social and mental development. Currently, various educational programs are provided to and attended by juvenile delinquents. However, the recidivism still remains high. The author reviewed previous research with the question: how were studies on juvenile delinquents conducted and were they effect on reducing recidivism? Erikson referred to the dynamic period as an 'ego-identity crisis.' The increasing number of juvenile crimes prove that education has neglected this aspect of adolescence, and is becoming a major social issue.
Juvenile delinquents experience frustration and extreme confusion due to negative self-concept, which is characteristic of adolescents. Art therapy can provide them with an opportunity to express themselves and link their individuality, creativity, beauty, and joy foundthrough art therapy to everyday life. However, studies suggest art therapy is mostly conducted in a large group and, therefore, fails to provide an opportunity for expressing self-concept, individuality, and insight.
The author attempted to review the previous research on juvenile delinquents and investigate objective facts and problems based on systematic analysis.
For this study, to investigate the relevant research trend, the author collected 58 master's and doctoral theses on group art therapy for juvenile delinquents that are registered in Korea Education and Research Information Service between January 2000 and May 2015.
Of 58 theses searched by using keywords such as juvenile delinquent, adolescents under protective supervision, and youth detention center, 38 these were finally selected after excluding case study and studies in which the subjects were not related to Youth Act.
The collected data were analyzed based on research method, subject, composition of art therapy activities, therapy purpose, and frequency of art therapy programs. In this study, the research trend was analyzed based on the research area, group size, age group distribution, and gender distribution, and the art therapy programs were analyzed based on therapy type, period,number of sessions per week, measurement and evaluation tool, and therapy purpose.
The result of this study was as follows:
Individual and small group therapies for juvenile delinquents are urgently needed. Also, it was difficult to analyze the subject studies objectively due to the limited number of cases. Most studies proposed a program based on analysis results and did not propose objective data to support the results.
With respect to research area, objectivity was limited due to the small number of case studies, and, because the therapies were mostly conducted in large groups, overall, the programs failed to take into account the age and individual difference of subjects. Considering characteristics of juvenile delinquents, individual therapy is urgently needed. Also, the therapy periods were rather insufficient, considering the number of sessions per week. The studies did not clarify the reason the therapy period was short for the number of sessions per week. In most studies, the therapy period was shorter than two months.
As findings in this study suggest, art therapy research on juvenile delinquents needs to have objectivity and validity and, in the future, art therapy programs must be accommodated to individual characteristics of subjects and developed in a way that can reduce recedivism.
By understanding juvenile delinquents and applying proper art therapy to them, relevant institutions and therapists can approach art therapy with a more active attitude.