Outcomes associated with participation in a therapeutic recreation camping programme for children from 15 European countries: Data from the ‘Barretstown Studies’

Abstract

In recent years, specialised camping programmes, based largely on the premise of therapeutic recreation, have emerged as a form of intervention for children with chronic illnesses, and their siblings. Although these programmes are proliferating, little systematic evaluation of their outcomes has been undertaken, particularly within a European context. The aim of this research was to investigate the symptom and psychosocial outcomes of The Barretstown Gang Camp therapeutic recreation programme in Ireland, a programme aimed at European children with chronic illnesses and their siblings, in the short and longer term. Measures assessing children's physical, psychological and social functioning, specifically their self-reported physical symptoms, affect, self-esteem and quality of life, were translated into 12 European languages and administered at 3 time periods: 2 weeks before each child participated in the programme (Time 1), 2 weeks after participation (Time 2) and at 6 months following participation (Time 3). Benefits were noted in their experience of physical symptoms, affect pertaining to physiological hyperarousal and quality of life in the short and longer term. Positive changes were also noted in relation to self-esteem as it pertains to global self-worth and physical attractiveness though these were, for the most part, in the longer term only and were preceded by adverse effects in the short term. While some of these positive changes were global, there were group differences based mostly on children's age, and patient/sibling status and to a lesser extent on their nationality. However, no benefits were evident in many aspects of children's functioning, either at a global or a group level, in the short and longer term. These findings clarify previous research and suggest that camping programmes have an important role to play as a complementary intervention in facilitating adjustment to chronic illness.