An Exploratory Study of Adaptive Scuba Diving’s Effects on Psychological Well-Being among Military Veterans

Authors

  • Ethan Blumhorst Marion VA Medical Center, IL
  • Shintaro Kono University of Alberta
  • Jasmine Cave Southern Illinois University Carbondale; Clemson University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18666/TRJ-2020-V54-I2-9954

Keywords:

adaptive scuba diving, contentment, mental health, military veterans, mindfulness

Abstract

Because many military veterans face mental health issues, it is important to research and practice alternative treatments including therapeutic recreation. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a single 45-minute adaptive scuba diving session on veterans’ psychological well-being, specifically state-level mindfulness (Brown & Ryan, 2003) and contentment (Taylor, 2015). A one-group pretest-posttest evaluation was conducted with 28 veteran divers. Of them, 16 had mental health issues (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder), while 11 had physical impairments (e.g., spinal cord injuries). Statistical results indicated that the post-dive mindfulness and contentment levels were significantly higher than their pre-dive counterparts (p = .007 and < .001, respectively). Moreover, the changes in mindfulness through scuba diving were positively correlated with the changes in contentment. The significant increases in mindfulness were present only among veterans with mental or physical health issues. These findings are discussed in relation to the literature on scuba diving, therapeutic recreation, mindfulness, and contentment.

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Author Biographies

Ethan Blumhorst, Marion VA Medical Center, IL

A clinician in the behavioral medicine unit

Shintaro Kono, University of Alberta

Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation

Jasmine Cave, Southern Illinois University Carbondale; Clemson University

Lecturer in the Department of Public Health and Recreation Professions at Southern Illinois University Carbondale; Ph.D. student at Clemson University

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Published

2020-06-01

Issue

Vol. 54 No. 2 (2020)

Section

Research Papers

License

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