Outcome Studies

Various outdoor schools participated in an independent research study by Keith C. Russell Ph. D., of the University of Idaho's Wilderness Research Center. The study was designed to measure treatment effectiveness in outdoor behavioral healthcare using the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (Y-OQ).

The Y-OQ is an industry accepted outcome instrument designed to measure symptom reduction in therapy.

The study was based upon 858 participants, of which 589 were male and 269 were female. Previous treatment history (indicating possible treatment resistance) was: >57% had prior outpatient treatment, >17% had prior inpatient treatment, and >13% had both prior inpatient and outpatient treatment.

Results

The study concluded that participation in outdoor behavioral healthcare resulted in clinically significant reductions in severity of behavioral and emotional symptoms. More than 83% of participants made clinically significant improvement. The average score change for participants as a 51.6 point reduction. A 13-point reduction is considered significant. Almost half (46%) of participants returned toa normal range as a result of treatment. The highest reduction for all age groups based on a parent assessment occurred among 13 year olds.

Study Shows Adolescents Still Doing Well One-Year After Wilderness Treatment

In a 12-month follow-up study, students reported a score of 38.61. This 9-point reduction from the score of 47.25 reported at discharge suggests that students not only maintained their outcomes, but had continued to improve after treatment.