Aspen Education Group's Outdoor Division participated in an independent research study by Keith C. Russell Ph. D., of the University of Idaho's Wilderness Research Center. The study was designed to measure treatment effectiveness in outdoor behavioral healthcare using the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (Y-OQ).

The Y-OQ is an industry accepted outcome instrument designed to measure symptom reduction in therapy.

The study was based upon 858 participants, of which 589 were male and 269 were female. Previous treatment history (indicating possible treatment resistance) was: >57% had prior outpatient treatment, >17% had prior inpatient treatment, and >13% had both prior inpatient and outpatient treatment.

Results - The study concluded that participation in outdoor behavioral healthcare resulted in clinically significant reductions in severity of behavioral and emotional symptoms. More than 83% of participants made clinically significant improvement. The average score change for participants as a 51.6 point reduction. A 13-point reduction is considered significant. Almost half (46%) of participants returned to a normal range as a result of treatment. The highest reduction for all age groups based on a parent assessment occurred among 13 year olds.

The study showed continued not just maintenance but continued progress one year later.

In a 12-month follow-up study, students reported a score of 38.61. This 9-point reduction from the score of 47.25 reported at discharge suggests that students not only maintained their outcomes, but had continued to improve after treatment.

To evaluate the full report of this independent study, please visit the University of Idaho Wilderness Research Center's website.