The effect of recreational therapy on self-efficacy and leisure awareness for adolescents with disabilities

The purpose of this research was to measure the effect of a recreational therapy intervention program on self-efficacy and leisure awareness in adolescents with disabilities in Taiwan. This study involved in recreational therapy intervention, leisure education group activities and leisure daily activities recording.;Scientific methods were employed to test a recreational therapy intervention program as treatment for adolescents with disabilities to improve their level of self-efficacy and leisure awareness. The study involved 30 volunteer subjects ages from 12 to 18 years, randomly divided into three groups: (1) recreational therapy intervention program, (2) leisure educational program, (3) no program but recording daily leisure activities. All three groups completed pre-test and post-test of self-efficacy and leisure awareness scales. Data were treated analyzed as quantitative information using the SPSSPC+ computer program. Significance was set at the .05 levels. After Six months, 9 of 20 volunteer subjects answered open-ended follow-up questions by telephone interview. Qualitative data were treated as case studies.;The dependent measures include the post-tests scores on the self-efficacy scale and the leisure awareness scale, and the differences between the post and pre-test scores. Separate one-way ANOVA and t-test comparisons were used to analyze the treatment effects. The results of this investigation indicated that (1) self-efficacy scores increase after recreational therapy intervention program on treatment group, (2) leisure awareness scores increased for treatment and control group I after the treatment and leisure educational program, (3) there was no statistical significant difference between the treatment and control groups on self-efficacy or leisure awareness post-test scores, (4) self-efficacy and leisure awareness had no statistical significant difference in most subjects' for different backgrounds. However, the interview results and subjects' personal evaluation show that the subjects benefited from involvement in recreational therapy intervention program, leisure educational activities or recording their daily leisure activities.;In sum, the recreational therapy intervention program for adolescents with disabilities in Taiwan significantly increased subjects' self-efficacy. Leisure awareness increased for subjects involved in the recreational therapy intervention program and leisure educational activities.