Adventure therapy for adolescents with cancer
- 17 June 2004
- journal article
- clinical trial
- Published by Wiley in Pediatric Blood & Cancer
- Vol. 43 (3), 278-284
- https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.20060
Abstract
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.Keywords
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