Does Caregiver Engagement Predict Outcomes of Adolescent Wilderness Therapy?
Existing research shows some links between wilderness therapy outcomes and familial functioning. However, wilderness therapy programs do not agree on what kind of caregiver involvement is required to improve adolescent program outcomes, nor has research examined different types of family engagement...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/1/54 |
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| author | Joanna E. Bettmann Naomi Martinez Gutierrez Annelise Jolley Laura Mills |
| author_facet | Joanna E. Bettmann Naomi Martinez Gutierrez Annelise Jolley Laura Mills |
| author_sort | Joanna E. Bettmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Existing research shows some links between wilderness therapy outcomes and familial functioning. However, wilderness therapy programs do not agree on what kind of caregiver involvement is required to improve adolescent program outcomes, nor has research examined different types of family engagement and their impact on adolescent treatment outcomes. Thus, the present study explored the research question: Does caregiver engagement in adolescent wilderness therapy foster improved outcomes? The study sample consisted of 4067 adolescent wilderness therapy clients from 12 different wilderness therapy programs. Using standardized measures and multilevel structural equation modeling, the authors found that caregiver program participation significantly predicted adolescent mental health outcomes of the program, suggesting that the more caregivers were involved in family interventions during the program, the more likely their adolescent child was to improve in the program. The study also found that greater caregiver effort predicted greater mean change in adolescent mental health outcomes of wilderness therapy. This study suggests the importance of enhancing familial interventions in adolescents’ wilderness therapy programs in order to improve adolescent outcomes. Given findings from this study, wilderness therapy programs should consider expanding the ways that they involve families in treatment in order to optimize adolescent outcomes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1da6fc789968466aa88f256f0eb6d1c0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-1da6fc789968466aa88f256f0eb6d1c02025-01-24T13:22:45ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2025-01-011515410.3390/bs15010054Does Caregiver Engagement Predict Outcomes of Adolescent Wilderness Therapy?Joanna E. Bettmann0Naomi Martinez Gutierrez1Annelise Jolley2Laura Mills3College of Social Work, University of Utah, 395 South 1500 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USADepartment of Psychology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, CanadaCollege of Social Work, University of Utah, 395 South 1500 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USAPine River Institute, 180 Dundas Street West, Suite 1410, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8, CanadaExisting research shows some links between wilderness therapy outcomes and familial functioning. However, wilderness therapy programs do not agree on what kind of caregiver involvement is required to improve adolescent program outcomes, nor has research examined different types of family engagement and their impact on adolescent treatment outcomes. Thus, the present study explored the research question: Does caregiver engagement in adolescent wilderness therapy foster improved outcomes? The study sample consisted of 4067 adolescent wilderness therapy clients from 12 different wilderness therapy programs. Using standardized measures and multilevel structural equation modeling, the authors found that caregiver program participation significantly predicted adolescent mental health outcomes of the program, suggesting that the more caregivers were involved in family interventions during the program, the more likely their adolescent child was to improve in the program. The study also found that greater caregiver effort predicted greater mean change in adolescent mental health outcomes of wilderness therapy. This study suggests the importance of enhancing familial interventions in adolescents’ wilderness therapy programs in order to improve adolescent outcomes. Given findings from this study, wilderness therapy programs should consider expanding the ways that they involve families in treatment in order to optimize adolescent outcomes.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/1/54adolescent treatmentwilderness therapyfamily therapyadolescent mental healthoutdoor behavioral healthcare |
| spellingShingle | Joanna E. Bettmann Naomi Martinez Gutierrez Annelise Jolley Laura Mills Does Caregiver Engagement Predict Outcomes of Adolescent Wilderness Therapy? Behavioral Sciences adolescent treatment wilderness therapy family therapy adolescent mental health outdoor behavioral healthcare |
| title | Does Caregiver Engagement Predict Outcomes of Adolescent Wilderness Therapy? |
| title_full | Does Caregiver Engagement Predict Outcomes of Adolescent Wilderness Therapy? |
| title_fullStr | Does Caregiver Engagement Predict Outcomes of Adolescent Wilderness Therapy? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does Caregiver Engagement Predict Outcomes of Adolescent Wilderness Therapy? |
| title_short | Does Caregiver Engagement Predict Outcomes of Adolescent Wilderness Therapy? |
| title_sort | does caregiver engagement predict outcomes of adolescent wilderness therapy |
| topic | adolescent treatment wilderness therapy family therapy adolescent mental health outdoor behavioral healthcare |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/1/54 |
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