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Adventure therapy for adolescents with cancer
Author(s) -
Stevens Bonnie,
Kagan Susan,
Yamada Janet,
Epstein Iris,
Beamer Madelyn,
Bilodeau Mario,
Baruchel Sylvain
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
pediatric blood and cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.116
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1545-5017
pISSN - 1545-5009
DOI - 10.1002/pbc.20060
Subject(s) - adventure , medicine , qualitative research , descriptive research , exploratory research , perspective (graphical) , quality of life (healthcare) , descriptive statistics , health professionals , health care , nursing , social science , statistics , mathematics , artificial intelligence , sociology , computer science , anthropology , economics , economic growth , operating system
The objective of this study was to describe adolescents' with cancer experience in an adventure therapy program from a health related quality of life (HRQL) perspective. A qualitative descriptive research method was used. Eleven adolescents and five health professionals participated in a guided group adventure therapy expedition in a remote area of Canada. The expedition was videotaped and data were collected using an unstructured interview format with both adolescents and health professionals. Emerging themes were identified using a qualitative descriptive exploratory analysis. Four major themes and related sub‐themes were generated. The major themes were: developing connections, togetherness, rebuilding self‐esteem, and creating memories. Adventure therapy was viewed by the adolescents and health care professionals as a positive experience with multiple benefits. This preliminary research will contribute to an understanding of adolescents' experiences with cancer and provide a basis for future studies evaluating the impact of adventure therapy on HRQL. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.