The Effect of Therapeutic Recreation on Interpersonal and Self-Management Skills of Abused Adolescent Males

Abstract

This study examined behavioral changes among abused adolescent males residing in a residential treatment facility after participating in a therapeutic recreation program. A standardized instrument titled the School Social Behavior Scales (SSBS) was selected to use for the study. A quasi-experimental research design was used to determine the effect of the ten-week, sixty-minute therapeutic recreation program focused on behavior. Participants (N = 18) were assigned to one of three groups. Two experimental groups participated in a therapeutic recreation program and a control group was placed in a traditional ten-week, sixty-minute recreation program. A pretest and posttest was administered with a validated behavioral rating instrument, the SSBS. The results indicated a significant improvement in interpersonal and self-management skills within each experimental group. There was no significant difference found in the pretest or posttest for the control group. The results supported the provision of therapeutic recreation services in residential treatment facilities for abused adolescents.