The Effects of Sandplay Therapy on Visually Disabled University Students’ Anxiety, Depression, and Psychological Well-being

This study aims to verify the effects of sandplay therapy on visually disabled university students’ anxiety, depression, and psychological well-being. To this end, twelve visually disabled college students were selected as participants and sandplay therapy was applied to each of them twice per week, forty-five minutes per each time, for a total of five weeks. Changes in questionnaire scores of the participants were compared between prior to and after the experiment and their sandplay therapy process was analyzed based on the Sandplay Categorical Checklist (SCC). Pre- and post-tests were conducted using self-reporting anxiety scale for the blind (ASB), depression scale (KDS-30), and psychological well-being scale (PWBS). The results obtained from this study are as follows: first, sandplay therapy was effective in decreasing visually disabled university students’ anxiety over their personal disposition, interpersonal relationships, and relationships with normal people. Second, sandplay therapy was effective in reducing visually disabled university students’ negative thoughts about self, feelings of depression, and loss of will. Third, sandplay therapy was effective in increasing visually disabled university students’ autonomy and self-acceptance and positively changing their interpersonal relationships.