• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.291-296
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of gardening programs using vertical gardens on helplessness, depression, and self-esteem in patients with chronic mental disorders. This study was applied to 21 patients with chronic mental disorder who were admitted to the rehabilitation hospital of E Hospital in Seoul from June to October 2018. The group was treated as an experimental group (N = 21) 5 times a week. For 20 weeks, each session lasted 30 minutes. Patients in the experimental group programmed 4 sessions of general occupational therapy, which combined treatments to improve cognition and training, and 1 session of a horticultural program using a vertical garden. Helplessness, depression, and self-esteem were evaluated for pre and post evaluation of the horticultural program. After completing the program, the average score of helplessness in the experimental group decreased by 0.91 points from 47.38 to 46.47, and there was a statistically significant change (p=0.043). The mean score of depression in the experimental group was 9.23 before and after 9.08, which was statistically significant (p = 0.035). The average score of self-esteem in the experimental group increased by 3.14 points from 27.99 to 31.13 at a statistically significant level (p = 0.001). This result suggests that a gardening program using vertical gardens has an effect on helplessness, depression, and self-esteem in patients with chronic mental disorders. And this means that long-term plans and effective programs for recovery from chronic mental disorders to the community are needed. With a horticultural work program using a vertical garden, the helplessness of the mentally impaired in a closed treatment space is restored, and such treatment space needs to be increased.