Wilderness adventure therapy effects on the mental health of youth participants.
Adventure therapy offers a prevention, early intervention, and treatment modality for people with behavioural, psychological, and psychosocial issues. It can appeal to youth-at-risk who are often less responsive to traditional psychotherapeutic interventions. This study evaluated Wilderness Adventure Therapy (WAT) outcomes based on participants' pre-program, post-program, and follow-up responses to self-report questionnaires. The sample consisted of 36 adolescent out-patients with mixed mental health issues who completed a 10-week, manualised WAT intervention. The overall short-term standardised mean effect size was small, positive, and statistically significant (0.26), with moderate, statistically significant improvements in psychological resilience and social self-esteem. Total short-term effects were within age-based adventure therapy meta-analytic benchmark 90% confidence intervals, except for the change in suicidality which was lower than the comparable benchmark. The short-term changes were retained at the three-month follow-up, except for family functioning (significant reduction) and suicidality (significant improvement). For participants in clinical ranges pre-program, there was a large, statistically significant reduction in depressive symptomology, and large to very large, statistically significant improvements in behavioural and emotional functioning. These changes were retained at the three-month follow-up. These findings indicate that WAT is as effective as traditional psychotherapy techniques for clinically symptomatic people. Future research utilising a comparison or wait-list control group, multiple sources of data, and a larger sample, could help to qualify and extend these findings.
Centre for Applied Psychology, Locked Bag 1, University of Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. Electronic address: daniel@danielbowen.com.au.
Daniel J
DJ
Bowen
Centre for Applied Psychology, Locked Bag 1, University of Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. Electronic address: james.neill@canberra.edu.au.
James T
JT
Neill
Neo Psychology, 439a Riversdale Road, Hawthorn East, Victoria, 3123, Australia. Electronic address: simon@neopsychology.com.au.
Simon J R
SJR
Crisp
D000293:Adolescent; D001315:Australia; D001519:Behavior; D002648:Child; D004644:Emotions; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012649:Self Concept; D055814:Wilderness
Adventure therapy; Mental health; Program evaluation; Youth; Youth development