Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare: Its Impact on Family Functioning

Abstract

The use of Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare (OBH) as a viable treatment modality for adolescents with behavioral, emotional, and substance use issues has been gaining increased attention. This research builds upon the literature by utilizing a longitudinal study to explore clinical changes, measured using the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (YOQ), and changes in family functioning as measured by the general functioning scale of the Family Assessment Device (FAD). Both clinically and statistically significant positive results with youth, mothers, and fathers at points of intake, discharge, and six months post discharge were found; however, parent and youth reports differed especially at six months post discharge. In addition, regression analyses showed that mothers and youth were more aligned than fathers in their perceptions of changes in family functioning post OBH treatment. This research fills a gap in the behavioral healthcare literature concerning the outcomes of using wilderness therapy and their association with family involvement in maintaining clinical change and improved family functioning.

Young Adults in Residential and Outdoor Behavioral Health Programs: Prelimniary Outcomes from the Practice Research Network of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs

“…In fact, most adolescent studies reported similar ratios of males to females, profiles of ethnicity, as well as numbers and rates of presenting problems (Behrens, 2011;Tucker et al, 2011;Tucker et al, 2014;Tucker et al, 2016a;Tucker et al, 2016b; 0.282 ***p< .001, a significant pairwise mean difference between admit and discharge (p< .05), b significant pairwise mean difference between discharge and six months post-discharge (p< .05), c significant pairwise mean difference between admit and six months post-discharge (p< .05) Bold scores represent scores above the clinical cut-off as normed by instrument developers. Zelov et al, 2013).…”

“…This study is limited by its racially homogenous sample. It is likely that the predominantly White sample is reflective of the larger population of young adults in NATSAP programs, because this racial/ethnic make-up has been repeatedly found in the body of research related to NATSAP programs (e.g., Behrens, 2011;Bettmann et al, 2016;Russell, 2005;Tucker et al, 2016a;Tucker et al, 2016b). Therefore, it is important to bear in mind that these findings (as well as the population of clients served in NATSAP programs) apply primarily to white young adult clients.…”

“…The adolescent OBH and RTC research suggests that adolescents and/or their parents report significant improvement from the point of admission to the point of discharge for emotional, behavioral, academic, family, and substance abuse problems in RTC and OBH programs (Behrens, 2006;Behrens, 2011;Behrens, Santa, & Gass, 2010;Behrens & Satterfield, 2007;Bettmann, Tucker, Behrens, & Vanderloo, 2016;Russell, Gillis, & Lewis, 2008;Tucker, Norton, DeMille, & Hobson, 2016a;Tucker, Paul, Hobson, Karoff, & Gass, 2016b). Furthermore, the research suggests that adolescents maintain gains up to one year post-discharge (Behrens, 2011;Tucker et al, 2016a;Tucker, Smith, & Gass, 2014;Tucker, Zelov, & Young, 2011;Zelov, Tucker, & Javorski, 2013).…”

Young Adults in Transition: Factors That Support and Hinder Growth and Change

“…Most of the major research initiatives come out of collaborative work with the OBH Center and the NATSAP PRN. These initiatives combine to provide a growing base of research that supports positive outcomes for private therapeutic programs (Behrens et al, 2010;Behrens, & Satterfield, 2007;Bettman et al, 2016;Hoag et al, 2016;Koperski, Tucker, Lung, & Gass, 2015;Liermann & Norton, 2016;Russell, 2000Russell, , 2003aRussell, , 2003bRussell et al, 2008;Russell & Sibthorp, 2004;Tucker, Norton, DeMille, & Hobson, 2016;Tucker, Paul, Hobson, Karoff, & Gass, 2016).…”

Longitudinal Outcomes for Youth Transported to Wilderness Therapy Programs

“…Although approximately 65% of parents completed outcome data at each point of time (intake, discharge, and postdischarge), there were only 282 matched pairs of data across all three points of time (42.8% participation rate). Consistently obtaining follow-up data has been a challenge for wilderness therapy research (Tucker, Paul, et al, 2016). Of the 645 youth participants, 68.6% were male, 18.4% were adopted, and 64.5% were transported to treatment.…”