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 a village, 11% in a small town, and 9% in a rural area. The wilderness expeditions took place in South Africa or Scotland, and ranged from 5 to 11 days. The purpose of the expeditions was to grow the connection between people and nature and improve leadership and life training skills in a challenging setting. The expedition settings were completely immersed in nature, with no electricity, and water obtained from nearby natural sources like rivers. Participants completed questionnaires at the beginning and end of each wilderness expedition that assessed self-esteem and connectedness to nature. …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 nature. The study showed a significant increase in participants’ self-esteem scores from pre- to post-expedition. The results also showed that boys’ self-esteem scores were significantly higher than girls’ self-esteem scores before the expedition, but not after. The variance in self-esteem scores was not affected by the participants’ gender, living environment, expedition location, or length of the expedition. Participants’ connectedness with nature scores also significantly increased from pre- to post-expedition. There were no significant differences between boys’ and girls’ connectedness to nature scores either before the expedition or after. The variance in connectedness to nature scores was not affected by the participants’ gender, living environment, expedition location, or length of the expedition. Because a pattern of poor mental health and self-esteem is often seen over a lifetime, addressing such issues during adolescence can lead to better overall health later in life. Connection to nature has been shown to play a role in improving mental well-being, self-esteem, and happiness. Improving adolescent self-esteem and connection to nature through participation in wilderness expeditions can result in improved mental health and greater life satisfaction. It may be particularly beneficial for girls to spend
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 a village, 11% in a small town, and 9% in a rural area. The wilderness expeditions took place in South Africa or Scotland, and ranged from 5 to 11 days. The purpose of the expeditions was to grow the connection between people and nature and improve leadership and life training skills in a challenging setting. The expedition settings were completely immersed in nature, with no electricity, and water obtained from nearby natural sources like rivers. Participants completed questionnaires at the beginning and end of each wilderness expedition that assessed self-esteem and connectedness to nature. …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 nature. The study showed a significant increase in participants’ self-esteem scores from pre- to post-expedition. The results also showed that boys’ self-esteem scores were significantly higher than girls’ self-esteem scores before the expedition, but not after. The variance in self-esteem scores was not affected by the participants’ gender, living environment, expedition location, or length of the expedition. Participants’ connectedness with nature scores also significantly increased from pre- to post-expedition. There were no significant differences between boys’ and girls’ connectedness to nature scores either before the expedition or after. The variance in connectedness to nature scores was not affected by the participants’ gender, living environment, expedition location, or length of the expedition. Because a pattern of poor mental health and self-esteem is often seen over a lifetime, addressing such issues during adolescence can lead to better overall health later in life. Connection to nature has been shown to play a role in improving mental well-being, self-esteem, and happiness. Improving adolescent self-esteem and connection to nature through participation in wilderness expeditions can result in improved mental health and greater life satisfaction. It may be particularly beneficial for girls to spend