Skip to main content

Promising Practices for Making Recreation Programming Matter for People who Experience Mental Illness

Community Mental Health Journal volume 54, pages 496–505 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

There is merit in understanding how recreation-oriented programs for adults living with mental illness address barriers to participation and how programming is structured to create safe and inclusive environments, resulting in programming that amplifies the benefits of recreation for mental well-being. Following an environmental scan of programs targeting adults living with mental illness in Canada, ten coordinators in community mental health settings were interviewed. Four themes were constructed to reflect characteristics deemed to be ‘promising practices’ related to recreation-oriented programming: (a) barriers and solutions to individual participation, (b) characteristics of welcoming and supportive environments, (c) leadership characteristics, and (d) program characteristics.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Notes

  1. Contact the authors for more information about this project.

  2. A knowledge translation tool based on this study that includes practitioner-oriented suggestions is available for download from http://www.recreationns.ns.ca/mental-health-and-recreation.

References

  • Astbury, B., & Leeuw, F. L. (2010). Unpacking black boxes: Mechanisms and theory building in evaluation. American Journal of Evaluation, 31(3), 363–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fenton, L., White, C., Gallant, K., Hutchinson, S., & Hamilton-Hinch, B. (2016). Recreation for mental health recovery. Leisure/Loisir, 40(3), 345–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fenton, L., White, C., Gallant, K. A., Gilbert, R., Hutchinson, S., Hamilton-Hinch, B., & Lauckner, H. (2017). The benefits of recreation for the recovery and social inclusion of individuals with mental illness: An integrative review. Leisure Sciences, 39(1), 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barton, J., Griffin, M., & Pretty, J. (2012). Exercise-, nature- and socially interactive-based initiatives improve mood and self-esteem in the clinical population. Perspectives in Public Health, 132(2), 89–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berman, M. G., Jonides, J., & Kaplan, S. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science, 19(12), 207–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berman, M. G., Kross, E., Kerpan, K. M., Askren, M. K., Burson, A., Deldin, P. J., Kaplan, S., Sherdell, L., Gotlib, I. H., & Jonides, J. (2012). Interacting with nature improves cognition and affect for individuals with depression. Journal of Affective Disorder, 140, 300–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyatzis, R. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bretschneider, S., Marc-Aurele, S., & Wu, L. (2005). ‘‘Best practices’’ research: A methodological guide for the perplexed. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 15(2), 307–323. doi:10.1093/jopart/mui017.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell, L. L. (2005). Leisure and health: Why is leisure therapeutic? British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 33(1), 7–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. (2010). Best practice guidelines for mental health promotion programs: Older adults 55+. Toronto: Centre for Mental Health and Addiction, http://www.camh.net.

  • Craik, C., & Pieris, Y. (2006). Without leisure… it wouldn’t be much of life: the meaning of leisure for people with mental health problems. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69(5), 209–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, L., Tondora, J., Lawless, M. S., O’Connell, M. J., & Rowe, M. (2009). A practical guide to recovery-oriented practice: Tools for transforming practice. New York: Oxford University Press Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fukui, S., Starnino, V., & Nelson-Becker, H. (2012). Spiritual well-being of people with psychiatric disabilities: The role of religious attendance, social network size and sense of control. Community Mental Health Journal, 48(2), 202–211.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Glass, T. A., De Leon, C., Bassuk, S. S., & Berkman, L. F. (2006). Social engagement and depressive symptoms in late life: Longitudinal findings. Journal of Aging & Health, 18(4), 604–628.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwasaki, Y., Coyle, C. P., & Shank, J. W. (2010). Leisure as a context for active living, recovery, health and life quality for persons with mental illness in a global context. Health Promotion International, 25(4), 483–494.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Jansen, D. A. (2005). Perceived barriers to participation in mentally restorative activities by community-dwelling elders. Activities, Adaptation & Aging, 29(2), 35–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnstone, R., Nicol, K., Donaghy, M., & Lawrie, S. (2009). Barriers to physical activity in community-based patients with schizophrenia. Journal of Mental Health, 18(6), 523–532.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lemaire, G. S., & Mallik, K. (2005). Barriers to community integration for participants in community-based psychiatric rehabilitation. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 19, 125–132.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCormick, B. P., & Iwasaki, Y. (2008). Mental health and transcending life challenges: The role of therapeutic recreation services. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 42(1), 5–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDevitt, J., Snyder, M., Miller, A., & Wilbur, J. (2006). Perceptions of barriers and benefits to physical activity participation among outpatients in psychiatric rehabilitation. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 38(1), 50–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, G., & Lomotey, J. (2006). Quantity and quality of participation and outcomes of participation in mental health consumer-run organizations. Journal of Mental Health, 15(1), 63–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reed, S., & Rickwood, D. J. (2009). Volunteering as a community mental health educator: Positives and negatives for recovery. Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, 8(2), 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sackett, D. L., Rosenberg, W. M., Gray, J. A., Haynes, R. B., & Richardson, W. S. (1996). Evidence based medicine: What it is and what it isn’t. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 312(7023), 71–72.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sells, D., Borg, M., Marin, I., Mezzina, R., Topor, A., & Davidson, L. (2006). Arenas of recovery for persons with severe mental illness. American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 9(1), 3–16. doi: 10.1080/15487760500339402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Street, G., James, R., & Cutt, H. (2007). The relationship between organised physical recreation and mental health. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 18(3), 236–239.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stuckey, H. L., & Nobel, J. (2010). The connection between art, healing, and public health: A review of current literature. American Journal of Public Health, 100(2), 254–263.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2003) Administration for Children and Families Program Announcement.

  • Ussher, M., Stanbury, L., Cheeseman, V., Faulkner, G. (2007). Physical activity preferences and perceived barriers to activity among persons with severe mental illness in the United Kingdom. Psychiatric Services, 58(3), 405–408.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, L., Verins, I., Moodie, R., & Webster, K. (2005). Responding to the social and economic determinants of mental health: A conceptual framework. In H. Herrman, S. Saxena & R. Moodie (Eds.), Promoting mental health: A report of the World Health Organization: Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse in collaboration with the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation and the University of Melbourne (pp. 89–106). Geneva: World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation Catalyst Grant (2012-8889)

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University, 6230 South Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada

    Susan L. Hutchinson

  2. Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, University of Manitoba, 123 Frank Kennedy Centre, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada

    Lara Fenton

Authors
  1. Susan L. Hutchinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lara Fenton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susan L. Hutchinson.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hutchinson, S.L., Fenton, L. Promising Practices for Making Recreation Programming Matter for People who Experience Mental Illness. Community Ment Health J 54, 496–505 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-017-0157-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-017-0157-0

Keywords

  • Mental illness
  • Programming
  • Promising practices
  • Recovery
  • Recreation
  • Social inclusion