Follow-up surveys of 23 adolescent participants in the Wilderness Therapy Program examined self-efficacy, behavioral symptoms, and locus of control at 4 months, 1 year, and 2 years after the program. Results suggest a regression to pretest levels at 4 months, with a return to the original posttest change levels at 1 and 2 years. (Author/SV)

Means-end analysis was used to examine the linkages between elements of an Outward Bound course and the personal benefits and outcomes obtained or reinforced by course completion. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 216 persons, who completed a course at the North Carolina Outward Bound School. Respondents were aged 14-66 (83…

Performed a meta-analysis of 22 wilderness challenge programs to assess impact on delinquent behavior. The overall effect size for delinquency outcomes (0.18) was equivalent to a recidivism rate of 29% for program participants versus 37% for nonparticipants. Greatest reductions in delinquent behavior came with intense physical activities or…

On the first and last days of the course, 97 adolescent participants on 14 wilderness adventure courses of 20-30 days duration completed the Sex Role Questionnaire by responding on a Likert scale to 22 statements. Data indicate that adolescents' sex-role stereotypes became less traditionally oriented by the end of the course. Contains 17…

Leaders of Christian wilderness expeditions may facilitate their own and others' spiritual growth by striving to develop a sense of community; focusing on relations, not information; planning for thorough wilderness immersion; bringing home as much of the wilderness experience as possible; and leaving the old self behind and opening oneself to…

This paper describes a longitudinal study of a residential outdoor education school program in Australia. Specifically, the research tracked 409 ninth-grade students for up to 24 months to determine the impact on boys and girls of an extended-stay outdoor education program. The program is located at Timbertop, a coeducational school in a…

In Annie Proulx's novel "The Shipping News," the anti-hero undertakes a journey of change that transforms the way he sees himself and his ways of acting and relating. This novel about the complexity of life and difficulty of change mirrors the course of wilderness-enhanced narrative therapy. Narrative therapy suggests that the sum of…

A study examined experiences of nature among eight adolescents during a 12-day wilderness trip. The trip generated feelings of good will toward nature but no increase in environmentally responsible behaviors. Group norms emphasized social interaction and constrained attention to nature. Outdoor educators should consciously plan for transfer of…

Examination of 31 therapeutic wilderness programs specializing in mental health treatment revealed that most programs served high-risk youth using a variety of outdoor modalities; that there was not a consensus on the definition of therapeutic; and that, in most cases, nonprofessional staff were responsible for therapeutic interventions. (LP)

This paper briefly describes development of an Australian wilderness program for at-risk and problem students and outlines the "wilderness enhanced" model on which it is based. In the late 1980s, the New South Wales Department of School Education developed a wilderness intervention for adolescents with a history of school behavior…

This proceedings contains selected papers from the first International Adventure Therapy Conference. The papers reflect a wide range of ideas about what constitutes adventure therapy and how it should be conducted. Presenting an array of international perspectives, programs, and practices, the papers expand the current literature, which has come…

This book provides an overview of the history, theoretical basis, research, development, evaluation, and current status of wilderness therapy programs for troubled adolescents. An introduction explores theories of adolescence and adolescent development, problems facing adolescents in contemporary society, limitations of traditional mental health…

A study examined perceptions of a 7-day Outward Bound program among 23 urban youths, foster parents, and foster care workers from group homes in Atlanta (Georgia). Foster parents reported improved self-esteem and behavior among the teens, but foster care workers reported worse behavior. Negative program impressions lessened among male youths but…

Northland Support Wilderness Experience (NSWE) was a bicultural (White and Maori) wilderness therapy program that operated in New Zealand from 1985 to 1990. NSWE conducted 11 wilderness expeditions per year with approximately 10 participants each, and provided 18-month followups for participants, parents, and significant others. Participants were…