Emotional response patterns of participants during a wilderness experience

摘要

With the current increase in participation in wilderness expeditions for challenge and adventure, leaders may overlook preparing participants for the psychological aspects of an outdoor experience, particularly the emotional responses to the variation and duration in activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the pattern of mood states for participants on a wilderness course (9 days in duration). By identifying mood states at daily intervals, a trend was plotted to indicate patterns of outdoor course participants. Data were collected over three years from eight expeditions using a measurement of six mood states (anger, confusion, depression, fatigue, tension and vigor). 77 complete cases (45 males and 32 females) were descriptively analyzed by means and standard deviations. A comparison of the segments of the course (MANOVA with repeated measures) revealed significant variation in five of the six scales. Depression was not statistically significant. A consistent pattern of moods is evident among wilderness participants. Findings demonstrate a noted fourth-day effect of mood with other fluctuations that point to the importance of understanding emotional response patterns of wilderness participants.