Meta-analysis of Treatment Outcomes Measured by the Y-OQ and Y-OQ-SR Comparing Wilderness and Non-wilderness Treatment Programs

Nature’s Role in Outdoor Therapies: An Umbrella Review

“…Of the 14 studies in this review, seven were located in the discipline of public health [ 27 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 35 , 36 , 38 ], two in medicine [ 33 , 37 ], two in child, youth, and family studies [ 28 , 32 ], one in mental health and addictions [ 34 ], one in psychology [ 18 ], and one in nursing [ 39 ]. The studies were organized into five categories based on their self-identified approaches: nature-based therapies [ 27 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 36 ], forest therapy [ 34 , 35 , 38 ], horticultural therapy [ 33 , 37 , 39 ], wilderness therapy [ 28 , 32 ], and adventure therapy [ 18 ]. Nature-based therapy is defined as “an intervention with the aim to treat, hasten recovery, and/or rehabilitate patients with a disease or ill health, with the fundamental principle that the therapy involves plants, natural materials, and/or outdoor environment[s]” [ 27 ] (p. 372).…”

“…Horticultural therapy reviews stated positive outcomes for a range of mental health and behavioral disorders “such as dementia, schizophrenia, depression, and terminal-care for cancer” [ 33 ] (p. 942) as well as for “cognitive function, agitation, positive emotion and engagement” [ 39 ] (p. 14), again depicting connections but not causal links. Wilderness therapy reviews suggested outcomes measured across a range of social, psychological and behavioral constructs with positive treatment effects in the areas of self-esteem, locus of control, behavioral changes, personal effectiveness, clinical symptomology, and interpersonal skills [ 28 , 32 ]. Bowen and Neill’s [ 18 ] adventure therapy meta-analysis was significant in size and scope (197 studies, 2908 effect sizes, 206 unique samples).…”

Proof of Concept of an Eclectic, Integrative Therapeutic Approach to Mental Health and Well-Being Through Virtual Reality Technology

“…The wilderness-based activities available to participants variably include hiking, canoeing or kayaking, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, rock-climbing, and related activities (Tucker and Norton, 2013). Recent meta-analyses show that wilderness therapy has proven efficacy for improving psychosocial outcomes on a range of measures (Bettmann et al, 2016;Gillis et al, 2016). For example, trauma-exposed youth and their families who participated in a wilderness therapy experience as an adjunct to standard trauma-focused treatment reported greater reduction in depression, anxiety, anger, and PTSD symptoms and improved family function when compared with youth and families who received only the standard trauma-focused care (i.e., treatment as usual, excluding the outdoor environmental experiences).…”

Adventure Therapy Treatment for Young Adult Males Struggling with Addictions

“…Several meta-analyses on AT programs and treatment outcomes have demonstrated its efficacy (Bowen & Neill, 2013;Gillis et al, 2015). Gillis et al (2015) concluded that consistently large effect sizes are found across studies examining symptom reduction of participants pre-and posttreatment using the Y-OQ and Y-OQ-SR in 15 distinct studies using AT as an intervention. These findings are corroborated in other meta-analyses focusing on AT treatment outcomes (Bettmann et al, 2016).…”