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How Semantic Shifts in Nature and Youth Mental Health Shape Outdoor Therapies: A Narrative Review (1960–2020).

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Title: How Semantic Shifts in Nature and Youth Mental Health Shape Outdoor Therapies: A Narrative Review (1960–2020).
Authors: Le Guyader, Edgar1,2 (AUTHOR) edgar.le-guyader@ens-rennes.fr, Beames, Simon Kennedy1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Experiential Education. Jun2026, Vol. 49 Issue 2, p245-278. 34p.
Subject Terms: Mental illness, Youth health, Adventure therapy, Gender differences (Sociology)
Abstract: Background: Since the 1960s, outdoor therapies for youth mental health (YMH) have expanded considerably. This trajectory involved a diversification of conceptions of both nature and YMH, leading to a fragmented field of knowledge and practice. Purpose: The inquiry aims to reveal and analyze the historical trajectory of outdoor therapies for YMH. Approach: Using a mixed-method approach, this narrative review draws on 49 articles to interrogate the historical development of factors such as pathologies, gender, and the role attributed to nature, since the first program. Findings: From 1962 up until the 1990s, articles portrayed nature as a sporting arena primarily targeting boys, with participants mostly considered deviant or socially disruptive. The 1990s marked semantic shifts: nature became more ambiguous—somewhere between sporting arena and active agent, while the target audience for YMH expanded to include more girls and a broader range of subtler mental health issues. From 2005 to the present, nature has been increasingly viewed as an active agent for improving YMH, and the field now caters to youth of all kinds. Implications: The findings show how changing conceptions of nature and youth mental health have shaped nature-based therapy programs, highlighting the need for more coherent and ecocentric designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Experiential Education is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: How Semantic Shifts in Nature and Youth Mental Health Shape Outdoor Therapies: A Narrative Review (1960–2020).
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Le+Guyader%2C+Edgar%22">Le Guyader, Edgar</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> edgar.le-guyader@ens-rennes.fr</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Beames%2C+Simon+Kennedy%22">Beames, Simon Kennedy</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Experiential+Education%22">Journal of Experiential Education</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 49 Issue 2, p245-278. 34p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+illness%22">Mental illness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Youth+health%22">Youth health</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Adventure+therapy%22">Adventure therapy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gender+differences+%28Sociology%29%22">Gender differences (Sociology)</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Background: Since the 1960s, outdoor therapies for youth mental health (YMH) have expanded considerably. This trajectory involved a diversification of conceptions of both nature and YMH, leading to a fragmented field of knowledge and practice. Purpose: The inquiry aims to reveal and analyze the historical trajectory of outdoor therapies for YMH. Approach: Using a mixed-method approach, this narrative review draws on 49 articles to interrogate the historical development of factors such as pathologies, gender, and the role attributed to nature, since the first program. Findings: From 1962 up until the 1990s, articles portrayed nature as a sporting arena primarily targeting boys, with participants mostly considered deviant or socially disruptive. The 1990s marked semantic shifts: nature became more ambiguous—somewhere between sporting arena and active agent, while the target audience for YMH expanded to include more girls and a broader range of subtler mental health issues. From 2005 to the present, nature has been increasingly viewed as an active agent for improving YMH, and the field now caters to youth of all kinds. Implications: The findings show how changing conceptions of nature and youth mental health have shaped nature-based therapy programs, highlighting the need for more coherent and ecocentric designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Experiential Education is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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              Text: Jun2026
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