The authors’ primary purpose for this report was to address the specific impact of wilderness challenge programs on juvenile delinquency.
Evaluations of wilderness challenge programs were meta-analyzed to assess the impact on delinquent behavior. The overall mean effect size for delinquency outcomes was 0.18 (N=22), equivalent to a recidivism rate of 29 percent for program participants vs. 37 percent for comparison subjects. Program length was not related to outcome among short-term programs (up to 6 weeks) but extended programs (over 10 weeks) showed smaller effects overall. However, the most influential program characteristics were the intensity of the physical activities and whether the program included a distinct therapeutic component. Programs involving relatively intense activities or with therapeutic enhancements produced the greatest reductions in delinquent behavior. Publisher Abstract Provided
Downloads
Similar Publications
- The Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU) Self-Report Version: Factor Structure, Measurement Invariance, and Predictive Validity in Justice-Involved Male Adolescents
- Childhood Prevalence and Latent Classes of Behavioral Issues in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development-Social Development Dataset
- State-Level Analysis of Intimate Partner Violence, Abortion Access, and Peripartum Homicide: Call for Screening and Violence Interventions for Pregnant Patients