ABSTRACT

Objective : The aims of this preliminary study were to examine the effects of a client-centered small group occupational therapy program on depression, anxiety, alienation, and suicidal ideation of adolescents at risk of suicide, and identify their changes in occupational performance. Methods: Five clients registered with a community mental health promotion center for case management participated in this study. A small-group occupational therapy program was designed based on conventional mental health day-hospital occupational therapy programs and audiovisual education programs for suicide prevention. One 50 min session was implemented per week at the high school where all of the clients were attending for 10 weeks, from August to October 2013. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was employed to determine the statistical significance. Results: The statistical significance (p<.05) was found in the Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory (K-BDI) and a slight decrease in individual scores was observed in the Korean version of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (K-BAI), Student Alienation Scale (SAS), and Suicidal Ideation Scale (SIS). The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) showed a statistical significance (p<.05) in changes in the occupational performance and satisfaction. Conclusion: The client-centered small-group occupational therapy program presented in this study was found to decrease the symptoms of depression, anxiety, alienation, and suicidal ideation, and improve the occupational performance among the adolescents at high risk of suicide, and furthermore, it emphasized the importance of individualized goal setting through group activities.