Effects of Collage-oriented Group Art Therapy on the Self-determination and Quality of Life of University Students with Disabilities

Abstract

Introduction: Not only is the university student period an early stage for students with disabilities to make decisions about their future and begin their adult life, but the improvement of self-determination for successful adaptation to adult life in this period is considered a very important factor in the successful transition to adulthood and improvement of quality of life for students with disabilities.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to find out how collage-oriented group art therapy affects self-determination and quality of life of university students with disabilities.

Methods: The subjects of the study were five university students with disabilities attending B University in area A. Group art therapy was conducted one to two times a week from June to July 2025, at 90 minutes per session for a total of 10 sessions.

Tools and Techniques: To verify the effectiveness of the study, self-determination and quality of life tests were conducted before and after collage-oriented group art therapy to determine any changes, and the test results were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, a nonparametric analysis.

Results: As a result of the study, first, it was found that collage-oriented group art therapy is statistically significant changes in the overall score of the self-determination scale and the entire sub-area. Second, the physical, psychological, social, and environmental areas among the sub-areas of the quality of life scale were significantly improved as a result of performing collage-oriented group art therapy.

Conclusion: These results suggest that collage-oriented group art therapy can be usefully used as an effective intervention method to improve self-determination and quality of life for university students with disabilities.