Wilderness Expeditions Improve Self-Esteem and Connectedness to Nature Among Adolescents
Poor mental health and self-esteem often track throughout a lifetime, and those with low self-esteem have been shown to be less capable of coping with stressful life events and are more prone to depression and anxiety. Connection to nature has been shown to play a role in improving mental well-being, self-esteem, and happiness. While previous studies show a relationship between exposure to nature and improved well-being and overall health, most of those studies are qualitative or descriptive. This study provides quantitative evidence about the effect of wilderness expeditions on self-esteem and connectedness to nature among adolescents, as well as whether there were any differences in that effect depending on participants’ gender, living environment, and the length and location of the expedition.
The study looked at 130 adolescents, ages 11 to 18, who participated in sixteen wilderness expeditions organized by the Wilderness Foundation UK between 2006 and 2012. The participants include 57 males and 75 females, 36% of whom lived in a city, 26% in a large town, 18% in …show more content…
Self-esteem was measured using Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, which asks respondents to rate their level of agreement, using a 4-point Likert-type scale, with 10 statements about feelings of self-worth or self-acceptance. The responses to these statements result in an overall self-esteem score from 10 to 40, with 40 being the highest level of self-esteem. Connectedness to nature was determined using the State Connectedness to Nature Scale, which has respondents rate their level of agreement, using a 5-point Likert-type scale, with 13 items. The responses result in an overall connectedness to nature score from 1 to 5, with 5 representing greatest connectedness to
Poor mental health and self-esteem often track throughout a lifetime, and those with low self-esteem have been shown to be less capable of coping with stressful life events and are more prone to depression and anxiety. Connection to nature has been shown to play a role in improving mental well-being, self-esteem, and happiness. While previous studies show a relationship between exposure to nature and improved well-being and overall health, most of those studies are qualitative or descriptive. This study provides quantitative evidence about the effect of wilderness expeditions on self-esteem and connectedness to nature among adolescents, as well as whether there were any differences in that effect depending on participants’ gender, living environment, and the length and location of the expedition.
The study looked at 130 adolescents, ages 11 to 18, who participated in sixteen wilderness expeditions organized by the Wilderness Foundation UK between 2006 and 2012. The participants include 57 males and 75 females, 36% of whom lived in a city, 26% in a large town, 18% in …show more content…
Self-esteem was measured using Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, which asks respondents to rate their level of agreement, using a 4-point Likert-type scale, with 10 statements about feelings of self-worth or self-acceptance. The responses to these statements result in an overall self-esteem score from 10 to 40, with 40 being the highest level of self-esteem. Connectedness to nature was determined using the State Connectedness to Nature Scale, which has respondents rate their level of agreement, using a 5-point Likert-type scale, with 13 items. The responses result in an overall connectedness to nature score from 1 to 5, with 5 representing greatest connectedness to