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Systematic Narrative
Review
Improving adolescent mental health through
adventure therapy
Abstract
Context:
Research highlights that adolescent years are a primary period for future life
trajectories. Adolescents are faced with a myriad of challenges during this
complex stage of development which means they are more vulnerable to
developing mental health issues. The use of outdoor based therapeutic
programmes with adolescents has grown in popularity as this can lead to
positive outcomes on their physical and mental health, in the short and long
term. Research evidence the therapeutic benefits of adventure therapy as
experiential learning empowers the participants to address their psychosocial
issues.
Adventure Therapy (AT hereafter) is the umbrella term for Wilderness Therapy
and Outdoor Behaviour Health which research uses interchangeably. This
systematic narrative review appraised relevant research exploring the outcomes
of AT. The focus group was adolescents aged 10 years - 18 years who present
with mental health issues.
Methods employed in the review:
Keyword searches within the
• PsychInfo,
• Social Care online, and
• Scopus databases
were completed to include peer reviewed articles which with the final search
being completed on 8th March 2023. A detailed search strategy was used for this
review, which looked at adolescents, mental health and AT. The final result