88 STUDY ON THE INFLUENCE OF OUTWARD-BOUND TRAINING ON MENTAL HEALTH OF SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS IN CONVALESCENT PERIOD

Abstract Background Schizophrenia is a chronic and serious mental disorder. Although the symptoms of patients have been alleviated during rehabilitation, they still face challenges in the recovery of social and cognitive functions, and are susceptible to external stimuli. The lack of communication and social support during the recovery period may aggravate and worsen the condition. Outward bound training, as an experiential learning activity, can promote patients’ teamwork, self-confidence and self-efficacy, and has a potential positive effect on improving patients’ social function and mental health. The aim of the study was to explore how outreach training can improve patients’ mental health and reduce anxiety and depression levels by enhancing their self-confidence, social skills and coping abilities. Methods From January 2022 to March 2023, 60 patients with schizophrenia admitted to the Third Hospital of Zhuzhou City were selected as the observation group. Meanwhile, a group of volunteers with similar health conditions were selected as the control group. The SCL-90 Symptom Checklist was used in the study to assess the psychological health status of participants. The students in the experimental group underwent a two-day, 8-10 hours, 12 weeks expansion training program over the weekend. The training content includes orienteering, jungle exploration, wilderness camping, as well as field projects such as horizontal bars, bridge crossings, and winding trails. The control group of students maintained their regular physical education schedule, twice a week, which included aerobics, athletics, football, basketball, and more. Results From Table 1, it can be seen that before intervention, there was no significant difference in the scores of each factor of the symptom self-assessment scale between the experimental group and the control group (P values were all greater than 0.05). After 12 weeks of expansion training, the experimental group showed significantly lower scores in all factors compared to the control group (P values were all less than 0.01), especially in the reduction of hostile factors. The scores of each factor in the experimental group decreased significantly after intervention compared to before intervention (P values were all less than 0.01), while there was no significant difference in the scores of each factor in the control group before and after intervention (P values were all greater than 0.05). Discussion The results of this study indicate that after the intervention of expansion training, the psychological health level of participants has significantly improved. Compared with the control group, the differences in various factors have reached statistical significance, indicating that the intervention effect of expansion training is positive. In addition, during the training process, patients’ attention is diverted from worries and setbacks in daily life, which helps regulate emotions and promotes the improvement of mental health.