Purpose: This study was done to examine the effects of a literary therapy intervention on ego-resilience and maladaptive behavior among children of broken homes.

Methods: The intervention consisted of 16 sessions designed to achieve a positive self-concept and was constructed as an interaction between participant and certain literature including poetry, narratives, dramas, art therapy, and willingness to share it with others. The study was carried out from May 2 to July 25, 2006. The participants were 36 children resided in a vulnerable region in G city. The collected data for Ego-resilience, Korean-Children Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL), Korean-Youth Self-Report (K-YSR) were respectively analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, repeated measures ANOVA with Post Hoc, and ANCOVA with the SPSS/WIN version 12.0 program.

Results: After the intervention, there was a significant difference between the experimental and the control group for Ego-resilience, K-CBCL, and K-YSR. There were significant differences according to time process in ego-resilience and K-YSR.

Conclusion: The results indicate that literary therapy is an effective nursing intervention for enhancing ego-resilience and reducing maladaptive behavior in children of broken homes.