Introduction
Mental health problems are common among combat veterans. Although the US government has set aside resources to treat these individuals, long wait times, stigma related to receiving treatment, and the perception of few treatment benefits remain barriers for soldiers seeking mental-health services. One alternative to traditional psychotherapy is wilderness therapy, which uses the natural environment to promote recovery.
Objective
The purpose of the present research was to expand on the literature and our previous findings by measuring the mental health of 7 groups of combat veterans on long-distance (ie, 4– 6 months) hiking and paddling trails.
Methods
Veterans completed pre-, mid-, and posthike measures aimed at gauging their mental-health functioning. We also emailed them weekly psychoeducational messages about how they might think and behave in ways to promote well-being. For 3 of the trails, we hiked with the veterans for 2 days at the beginning of their wilderness experience.
Results
Preliminary data analyses for veterans in our wilderness therapy program vs those in a waitlist control group indicated larger gains in mental health across 11 variables for those in the treatment group. Even with a small sample size (N = 31), we found statistically significant differences between groups for anxiety (P < .001), phobic anxiety (P = .04), and interpersonal sensitivity (P = .03), and a marginally significant difference in overall mental health (P = .06).
Conclusions
For a generation of post-9/11 combat veterans who may not benefit from traditional approaches to therapy, our wilderness therapy program showed promise as a way for veterans to address issues related to experiencing traumatic events while deployed. We found significant decreases in general anxiety, anxiety related to fear or uneasiness when in new places and around crowds, and feelings of wariness or self-consciousness around others.
Funding
WMS Hackett-Auerbach Grant (2015).