Abstract
Despite high rates of mental illness among veterans, many do not receive sufficient mental health treatment. Thus, mental health interventions that do not look like treatment, but look more like outdoor recreation, may be helpful in addressing veterans' resistance to mental treatment and help-seeking. The present study sought to answer the question: Does participation in a therapeutic adventure program correlate with veterans' help-seeking for mental health concerns? If such correlations exist, which demographic or military service-related factors might help explain those patterns of change? Participants in the present study attended a peer-led therapeutic adventure trip that lasted at least 3 days and 2 nights. The 67 participants completed study measurements pre-trip, immediately post-trip, 1-month post-trip, 6 months post-trip, and 12 months post-trip. Using latent growth curve modeling, results showed that, on average, veterans who attended these trips increased their openness to seeking professional psychological help significantly from pre-trip to 1-year post-trip. Notably, the rate of increase for males was slower than for females. Results also showed significant variability in the starting point and the trajectory of seeking professional psychological help. The findings suggest that veterans show variability in their openness to seeking professional psychological help after therapeutic adventure participation and may vary significantly in how open they become over time. The present study provides evidence that veterans' participation in therapeutic adventure trips correlates with increased openness to seeking professional help, suggesting the intervention's possible role in improving veterans' help-seeking behaviors.
Published Version
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