조모-손자녀 관계증진을 위한 가족모래놀이치료 프로그램 개발 및 효과 -손자녀와의 관계에 어려움을 겪는 주양육자 조모를 대상으로-

Development and Effectiveness of a Family Sandplay Therapy Program for Promoting - Grandmother-Grandchild Relationship: Focusing on Grandmothers Experiencing Relationship Difficulties with Their Grandchildren

This study developed and validated a family sandplay therapy program for grandmothers aged 65 and older who were experiencing relationship difficulties with their grandchildren. The program aimed to improve grandmother-grandchild relationships through enhancing ego-integrity and empathy, through three stages implemented over 10 sessions. Four grandmother-grandchild pairs participated in the study and each pair was assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. The effectiveness was measured using ego-integrity, empathy, and grandmother-grandchild relationship scales and analyzed through Mann-Whitney U tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and qualitative content analysis. Results showed significant improvements in the experimental group compared to the control group in life attitudes (ego-integrity subfactor), emotional empathy, and attachment and communication (relationship subfactors). Qualitative analysis confirmed positive changes in grandmothers' ego-integrity, empathy, and relationships with grandchildren. The family sandplay therapy program effectively promoted grandmothers' psychological growth and relationship improvement, demonstrating its potential as a practical intervention model for improving grandmother-grandchild relationships.