The object of this study was to examine how group art therapy using an active parenting (AP) program
affects the nurturing stress and the nurturing efficacy of preschoolers' mothers. The participants of this
study were preschoolers' mothers of 6-7-year-old kids being enrolled in a kindergarten or a nursery class at
S-gu in Seoul. The 18 randomly selected volunteers were randomly divided into two equally sized groups,
the control group and the experimental group. This program was performed a total of 12 times, each
lasting 120 min., except the pre-test and post-test, twice per week starting on October 15, 2013. The
Parenting Stress Index (Short Form: PSI/SF) scale was used to see the change in nurturing stress, and the
nurturing efficacy scale was used to check the change in nurturing efficacy. To check the changes in the
pre-tests and post-tests, the data were quantitatively processed by an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA)
with the SPSS 18.0 program. The results obtained are summarized as follows. First, all of the four low
variables for nurturing stress demonstrated meaningful differences. Secondly, the data showed that all five
low variables of nurturing efficacy demonstrated meaningful differences, indicating that the study showed
statistically meaningful results. In conclusion, this group art therapy using an active parenting program gave
some positive effects on nurturing stress and nurturing efficacy of preschoolers' mothers.