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South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation, 2022, 44(2): 1-14.
ISBN: 0379-9069
1
EFFECTS OF RECREATIONAL THERAPY ON EMOTIONAL ADJUSTMENT OF
STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
Ezgi ERTÜZÜN1 and Hasan DAŞKIRAN2
1 Department of Recreation, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey
2 Sultan Gazi Vocational Technical and Anatolian High School, İstanbul, Turkey
ABSTRACT
Emotional adjustment behaviours of individuals with mild intellectual disabilities
were not adequately measured after a therapeutic recreation intervention. This
qualitative experimental research aimed to determine the effect of a recreational
therapy programme on the emotional adjustment of individuals with intellectual
disabilities at Meram Melike Hatun Special Education Vocational School in
Konya, Turkey between March 2019 and May 2019. Thirty-four parents of
students with intellectual disabilities were recruited. The participating parents
were allocated to an experimental group (n=17) or a control group (n=17).
Demographic characteristics of the participants were collected with a personal
information form developed based on relevant literature. The Hacettepe
Emotional Adjustment Scale (HEAS) was used to collect emotional adjustment
data. A pretest–post-test experimental design was used. Therapeutic recreation
was applied in 16 sessions as 2 sessions per week, presented by the researchers
and each lasting about 1 hour. No significant difference was found between the
post-test HEAS total and sub-dimension mean scores in the experimental and
control groups (p>0.05). HEAS measurements in the experimental and control
groups revealed no significant difference in total and sub-dimension scores
(p>0.05). Our study suggests that implementing therapeutic recreation activities
in 16 sessions is insufficient, with longer-term programmes required to solve
problems of emotional adjustment.
Keywords: Emotional adjustment; Intellectual disabilities; Recreational therapy;
Therapeutic recreation.
INTRODUCTION
Emotional adjustment is defined as the harmony of individuals' selves with the environment.
This is not always easy for individuals with intellectual disabilities (Kuma r & Panday, 2019;
Schalock & Luckasson, 2021). It is stated that people with intellectual disabilities experience
more emotional problems than people who do not have a disability, and these can affect
behaviour, manifesting as lack of truthfulness, irritability, anxiety and rule breaking (Yavuzer,
2012). Thus, it can be said that individuals with intellectual disabilities experience emotional
adjustment problems (Kumar & Panday, 2019). As physical activity is an effective method for
improving mental health (Rosenbaum et al., 2014; Rodriguez et al., 2019), recreational therapy
SAJR SPER, 44(2), 2022 Ertüzün & Daşkiran
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may be beneficial to overcoming emotional adjustment problems. The American Therapeutic
Recreation Association (ATRA) defines recreational therapy as the application of therapeutic
recreation using a systematic method that uses recreation and other activity-based interventions
to meet the psychological health, physical health and well-being needs of individua ls with
illnesses and/or disabilities (ATRA, 2019).
Adjustment behaviour includes independent living skills, physical developmen t, self-
management, individual responsibility, academic competence and language development. In
this sense, the self-determination and entertainment model can be an effective way to develop
emotional adaptation behaviours (Gresham & Reschly, 1981). Self-determination involves
autonomy, the flexibility and ability to choose options, and the ability to adjust to situations
when only one option is available (Deci, 1980). For these reasons, the Self-Determination and
Enjoyment Model is thought to be one of the most effective determinants in planning the most
appropriate therapeutic recreation programmes for developing the emotional adjustment skills
of intellectually disabled students.
In this model, the person develops the ability to express themself based on the degree of
pleasure they receive (Dattilo et al., 1998). Pleasure is felt deeply by participants during
recreational therapy. It increases the individual's motivation to participate in the therapy and
helps ma ke best use of physical, social and emotional conditions (Carter & Glen, 2012).
Mannello et al. (2020) reported that recreational sports activities are important to enabling
individuals with special needs to adapt to the environment. People with disabilities need to lead
an active life physically and mentally so that they do not have problems and they adapt to
society (Beyazıt & Öztürk, 2016). Some studies have revealed that individuals with intellectual
disabilities participate less in sports activities (Robertson et al., 2018; Scott, 2021;), which
negatively affects socialisation and may cause adaptation problems.
In their systematic review with meta-analysis, Koslowski et al. (2016) reported no convincing
evidence supporting the interventions aimed at improving mental health problems in people
with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities. The number of trials available, including
exercise-based activities, was too few to draw firm conclusions. This study implemented a
game-based intervention programme, based on the self-determination and entertainment
model.
When the national and international literature is reviewed, it is seen that studies on the effects
of therapeutic activities on the emotional adjustment of individuals with intellectual disabilities
are limited. Previous research shows that when recreational therapy is implemented as an
educational programme, it reinforces optimal recreational support for the health and
educational development of students with disabilities within the school system (Green et al.,
2018).
Thus, this study aimed to reveal the effect of recreational therapy program me participation,
applied in a school, on the emotional adjustment of individua ls with mild intellectual
disabilities.
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METHODS
Research design
The study wa s a randomised controlled trial using two parallel forms in one experimental and
one control group, with a pretest–post-test design, according to the Consolidated Standards of
Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement guidelines (Schulz et al., 2010).
Population and sampling
The study was carried out at the School for Individuals with Mild Intellectual Disabilities in
Meram Melike Hatun Special Education Vocational School, affiliated with the Ministry of
National Education in Konya, Turkey. The study was conducted between March and May 2019.
As it is thought that the best way to evaluate the effect of a therapeutic recreation programme
applied to students is through the observations of the parents closest to them, their parents were
determined as the target population. Thus the target population of the research consisted of the
parents (mother or father) of 86 students with mild intellectual disabilities who enrolled in
Meram Melike Hatun Special Education Vocational School and who continued their education
in the School for Individuals with Mild Intellectual Disabilities. Meram Melike Hatun Special
Education Vocational School accepts only individuals with mild intellectual disability,
meaning that student IQs are between 50 and 70. Parents of the students with physical
disabilities were excluded from the study (five students).
The sample size was determined using the G-Power 3.01 program (G*Power 3.1 Manual, 2017)
and the method of analysis selected was ANOVA for repeated measurements within repeated
factors of the F test type. Power analysis was based on a type I error of 0.05, power of 0.95 and
effect size f=0.55. Based on this calculation, the sample size was determined as at least 10
people. As the study had a pretest–post-test control group design and any data loss may have
reduced internal validity, it was decided to have 20 participants in each group (the experimental
and control groups). A simple random numbers table from the school’s general list of students
was used for recruitment. The data of the families of the students who attended at least 14
sessions during the programme were evaluated in the experimental group. In the control group,
three parents who did not consent to the final data collection were excluded from the evaluation
because of a lack of data for them.
The Hacettepe Mental Adjustment Scale was applied to the target population before the
recreational therapy programme to ensure the experimental and control groups were similar
and the groups were equivalent. The obtained data were analysed using the Mann–Whitney U
test. The results of the analysis revealed that there was no significant difference between the
sub-dimensions of Neurotic Problems, Behavioral Problems and Other Behavioral Problems
and the total pretest scores of the experimental and control groups. This finding shows that the
pretest scores of the groups were similar and the groups were equivalent. Based on the
demographic data of the parents, it can be said that the groups were equivalent in terms of
variables such as income, education and place of residence.
Randomisation
In line with the sample size determined by a power analysis, the study group (n=40) was
randomly selected from the population (N=86) by excluding the students (n=6) who could not
be included in the study according to the exclusion criteria and by using a simple random
SAJR SPER, 44(2), 2022 Ertüzün & Daşkiran
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numbers table. In this context, the participants were randomly assigned to the experimental and
control groups by a statistician who did not know the names and characteristics of the students.
The pa rents of the 40 randomly selected students from the population were randomly assigned
to the experimental and control groups (20 parents in each group). The researcher did not know
who was in the experimental or control group until the interventions started.
Blinding
Blinding was a pplied to the data collectors and statisticians, and in the reporting. This way,
detection bias, statistical bias and reporting bias were controlled.
Intervention
The recreational therapy programme was administered with the experimental group between
March and May 2019 in 16 sessions. The participants had two therapy sessions per week,
lasting approximately 1 hour. The second researcher implemented the programme and the first
researcher was the thesis supervisor/advisor.
The therapy programme was planned according to the Self Determination and Entertainment
Model, which aims to foster personal development and well-being by creating an enjoyable
environment with therapeutic recreation (Dattilo et al., 1998). The recreational therapy
programme included entertaining games played with simple rules.
Given the model, the programme was prepared with the aim of developing, in students with
intellectual disability, behaviours that overlap with emotional adjustment, such as making
friends, playing games in harmony with their groupmates, obeying the rules, expressing
themselves, controlling their emotions when they lose, learning to share, coping with the
feeling of jealousy, learning to listen, doing things on their own, refraining from lying,
accepting the consequences of doing something wrong, avoiding hurtful and damaging
behaviours, and taking responsibility. For the programme, games that would improve
emotional adjustment skills were selected.
At the beginning of the programme, the children in the experimental group were introduced to
the researchers in the school gymnasium, and they were informed about the purpose of the
study. In this introductory session, the students gave their verbal consent to participate in the
study. During one session of the programme, the second author played warm-up games with
the students. Games with simple rules were implemented by the second author so that the
students learned how to play them. As the first author had sufficient professiona l experience
and the study was within the scope of a thesis, a supervisor provided support during the
implementation process. The researchers were in constant contact with the students, with
encouragement and support given during the interventions. The researchers observed that the
students were very enthusiastic and had a lot of fun during the interventions. This was
something that the researchers paid the most attention to. Students who participated in fewer
than 14 sessions owing to an illness or a disability were excluded from the study.
SAJR SPER, 44(1), 2022 Recreational therapy in intellectual disabilities
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Control group
The pa rents in this group were administered the scale twice – once pretest and once post-test.
No intervention was provided to the control group, who continued with the routine school
programme. After the study was completed, the programme was administered to the parents
and students in the control group.
Research instruments
Personal information form
A personal information form was administered consisting of 11 questions – 5 to determine the
demographic characteristics of students with mild intellectual disabilities and 6 to determine
the degree of closeness and demographic characteristics of the family member (mother or
father) who filled out the scale.
Hacettepe Emotional Adjustment Scale
Gökler and Öktem developed the Hacettepe Emotional Adjustment Scale in 1985 (Kaner et al.,
2012) at Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child a nd Adolescent
Psychiatry. The questions were selected from various scales used to evaluate emotional
adjustment. In selecting the questions, suitability to Turkish culture was given importance, and
Turkish validity and reliability studies were carried out. The reported internal consistency
coefficient of the instrument was .87. Additiona lly, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the
scale were neurotic subscale .82 and behavioral subscale .83 (Gökler & Öktem, 1985; Coşkun,
1994). Construct and content validity of the instrument were also reported as satisfactory. The
scale consists of 32 items, including mental symptoms that may occur in any child. There are
None (0), Some (1), and Many (2) options for each item. The total score is calculated by adding
the points obtained from each item. Odd-numbered items indicate neurotic problems, and even-
numbered items display behavioural problems. Scores up to the 25th item are added up. A total
score of 13 or higher is associated with a “mental problem”.
The scale includes three factors to determine the emotional adjustment levels of children:
neurotic problems, behavioural problems, and other behavioural problems. Neurotic
characteristics are tested with 12 questions, which include characteristics such as shyness,
inhibition and insecurity, cowardice and timidity, selfishness and not being willing to share,
inability to do anything by oneself, being afraid and unable to sleep alone at night, being
anxious and delusional, having no friends and playing alone, being reluctant to go to school,
being stagnant and withdrawn, being joyless and unhappy, and being careless. Behavioural
disorders are also tested with 12 questions. They include characteristics such as hyperactivity
and restlessness, irritability and quick temper, jealousy, stubbornness and disobedience, lying,
taking things that do not belong to them without permission, not getting along with peers, not
being affected by punishment and not being well-behaved, being quarrelsome and aggressive,
being hurtful and harmful, being irresponsible and not able to do one's work, and being
unnecessarily rigorous. Other behavioural problems are tested with seven questions: stuttering,
tics, nail-biting, thumb-sucking, incontinence, bed urination and school failure. The internal
consistency coefficient of this study was found to be α=.80 for pre -measurements and .81 for
post-measurements.
SAJR SPER, 44(2), 2022 Ertüzün & Daşkiran
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Data collection procedures
An information meeting was held for the parents of the students in the experimental group. The
parents were informed about the programme and the measurement tool for research purposes
only. On 1 March 2019, before the randomisation process and following the information
meeting, the researchers applied the pretests to the parents who volunteered to participate in
the study. The researchers also administered the Personal Information Form and Hacettepe
Emotional Adjustment Scale as pretests. The post-tests were administered by a blinded
researcher between 22 and 24 May 2019, by inviting the experimental and control groups to
the school. The Hacettepe Emotional Adjustment Scale was administered to the experimental
and control group parents as the post-test.
Data analysis
Data were analysed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 23 program (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY,
USA). Frequency distributions (number, percentage) were calculated for categorical variables,
and descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, median, minimum, maximum) were
calculated for continuous variables. The normality of the numerical variables across the groups
was examined using the Shapiro Wilk test of normality, and it was observed that they were not
normally distributed. Non-parametric statistical methods were thus used, as the assumption of
normal distribution was not met and the number of people in the groups was less than 30. The
relationship between two independent categorical variables was examined with chi-square
analysis. Fisher's Exact test was used in cases where the expected value assumption was not
accepted in the chi-square analysis. The differences between the two independent groups were
examined using the Mann–Whitney U analysis. The differences between the two dependent
numerical variables were controlled using Wilcoxon analysis. The level of significance was set
at p<0.05 for the analyses.
Ethical considerations
This study was registered on 23 October 2019 on ClinicalTrials.gov with the Identifier, NCT
04102683, titled “The Effects of Recreational Therapy on the Emotional Adjustment of
Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities”. The da ta were collected after obtaining approval
from the ethics committee (40990478-050.99/21). Permission was also obtained from the
institution and the authors of the scale. The informed consent of the participants was also
obtained. To avoid bias in the data collection process, the post-tests were administered by a
researcher who was informed about the research but had no knowledge about the group
allocations.
RESULTS
Table 1 indicates that the proportion of girls in the experimental group was 35.3% and that it
was 23.5% in the control group. The proportion of mothers who were illiterate was 17.6% in
the experimental group and 11.8% in the control group. Mothers who had finished primary
school were 64.7% of the experimental group and 82.4% of the control group. The mothers
who had finished secondary school rate were 17.6% of the experimental group and 5.9% of the
experimental control group. As far as fathers' educational status was concerned, fathers who
had finished primary school were 88.2% of the experimental group and 76.5% of the control
SAJR SPER, 44(1), 2022 Recreational therapy in intellectual disabilities
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group. Fathers who had finished secondary school were 5.9% of both the experimental and
control groups. None of the fathers had finished high school in the experimental group, whereas
5.9% of the fathers in the control group had finished high school. Fathers with university
education comprised 5.9% of the experimental group, and none of the fathers in the control
group had a university education.
In the experimental group, 41.2% of the families had an income below the minimum wage,
whereas this proportion was 29.4% in the control group. Of the groups, 29.4% of the families
in the experimental group and 52.9% of the control group earned the minimum wage as their
monthly income, and 23.5% of the families in the experimental group and 11.8% of the control
group earned twice the minimum wage monthly. Whereas no family in the experimental group
had an income three times higher than the minimum wage or higher, 5.9% of the families in
the control group had an income three times higher than the minimum wage or more.
Table 1. DISTRIBUTION OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHILDREN OF
THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS
Experimental
(n=17)
Control
(n=17)
Chi-
square
p
n (%)
n (%)
Gender
0.567
0.452
Female
6 (35.3)
4 (23.5)
Male
11 (64.7)
13 (76.5)
Mother’s level of education
1.552F
0.554
Illiterate
3 (17.6)
2 (11.8)
Primary school
11 (64.7)
14 (82.4)
Secondary school
3 (17.6)
1 (5.9)
Father’s level of education
2.142F
0.858
Primary school
15 (88.2)
13 (76.5)
Secondary school
1 (5.9)
1 (5.9)
High school
0 (0)
1 (5.9)
University
1 (5.9)
0 (0)
Income level
3.015F
0.398
Below minimum wage
7 (41.2)
5(29.4)
Minimum wage
5 (29.4)
9 (52.9)
Twice the minimum wage
4 (23.5)
2 (11.8)
Three times the minimum
wage and above
0 (0)
1 (5.9)
F Fisher's Exact test (used when the expected value assumption is not met in the chi-square
analysis).
The statistical analyses revealed no statistically significant differences between the
experimental and control groups for the gender of the child, educational status of the mother,
educational status of the father or family income status (p>0.05). Accordingly, it can be stated
that the experimental and control groups were homogeneous in terms of the variables of child
gender, mother's education level, father's education level and family income.
SAJR SPER, 44(2), 2022 Ertüzün & Daşkiran
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The flow chart of the experimental and control groups prepared according to CONSORT 2010
is given in Figure 1. The parents of 40 students in the sample were randomly assigned to the
experimental and control groups (20 parents in each). Prior to the intervention, three parents in
the experimental group withdrew from the study as their children did not attend regularly, and
three parents in the control group withdrew from the research at their own request. The
inclusion of each participant in the analysis in the group to which they are assigned, without
considering any justifications such as separation, non -compliance, treatment/intervention after
randomisation defined as intention to treat (ITT) analysis. A method based on the exclusion of
those who dropped out of the study without any intervention at the beginning of the study is
identified as modified ITT (MoITT) a s well (Akın & Koçoğlu, 2017). MoITT was applied to
the study findings. In addition, an ITT analysis was performed for control purposes, and no
differences between the findings were observed.
Figure 1. THE CONSORT (2010) FLOW CHART OF THE PARENTS IN
THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS
(Source: http://www.consort-statement.org/consort-2010).
Table 2 indicates that the pretest score for neurotic characteristics of the experimental group
was 7, whereas this was 5 in the control group. The post-test neurotic score for both groups
was 4. The experimental and control groups' pretest behaviour scores were 5 and 6,
respectively. The post-test behaviour scores of the experimental group increased to 5.5,
SAJR SPER, 44(1), 2022 Recreational therapy in intellectual disabilities
9
whereas it remained at 6 in the control group. The pretest and post-test score for other
behavioural problems was 1 for both groups. Whereas the tota l pretest score of the experimental
group was 12, it was 11 for the control group. The post-test total score of the experimental
group was 9, and it remained at 11 in the control group.
The statistical analyses revealed no statistically significant difference between the experimental
and control groups in pretest and post-test neurotic characteristics, behavioural problems, other
behavioural problems and total scores (p>0.05). The statistical analyses further revealed that
the experimental group's pretest a nd post-test neurotic, behavioural, other behavioural and total
scores did not vary significantly (p>0.05). Moreover, the pretest and post-test behavioural,
other and total scores of the control group did not show a statistically significant difference
(p>0.05). In contrast, the neurotic scores did demonstrate a statistically significant difference
(p<0.05), with the neurotic score of the control group decreasing post-test.
Table 2. COMPARISON OF THE PRETEST AND POST-TEST SCORES ON THE
EMOTIONAL ADJUSTMENT SCALE ACROSS GROUPS AND WITHIN
GROUPS
Experimental
Control
Inter-group
differences
Mean ± SD
Median
(range)
Mean ± SD
Median
(range)
Za
p
Neurotic pretest
6.47±4.78
7 (0–14)
5.35±2.91
5 (1–12)
-0.501
0.616
Neurotic post-test
4.06±3.73
4 (0–12)
4.53±3.
4 (0–11)
-0.555
0.579
Inter-group differences
Zb=-1.57
p=0.116
Zb=-1.980
p=0.048*
Behavioral pretest
6.00±3.81
5 (1–13)
6.06±3.56
6 (0–14)
-0.208
0.836
Behavioral post-test
5.50±3.61
5.5 (0–13)
5.88±4.11
6 (0–14)
-0.217
0.828
Inter-group differences
Zb=-0.200
p=0.842
Zb=-0.594
p=0.553
Other pretest
1.65±1.90
1 (0–7)
1.41±1.06
1(0–4)
-0.160
0.873
Other post-test
1.29±1.86
1 (0–7)
1.53±1.42
1(0–5)
-0.967
0.334
Inter-group differences
Zb=-1.144
p=0.253
Zb=-0.333
p=0.739
Total pretest
12.47±7.59
12(1–27)
11.41±5.29
11(3–22)
-0.224
0.822
Total post-test
9.81±6.09
9(1–25)
10.41±6.13
11(1–22)
-0.416
0.677
Inter-group differences
Zb=-0.912
p=0.362
Zb=-1.606
p=0.108
a Mann–Whitney U b Wilcoxon a nalysis * significant p<0.05.
DISCUSSION
According to the findings of the Wilcoxon test, there were no significant differences between
the Hacettepe Emotional Adjustment Scale pretest and post-test total scores or sub-dimension
scores for the experimental group. Although the differences were not significant, decreases
SAJR SPER, 44(2), 2022 Ertüzün & Daşkiran
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were observed in the Hacettepe Emotional Adjustment Scale total and subdimension scores.
Because the scale’s items is negative higher scores on this scale indicate more behavioural
problems.
When planning the recreational therapy programme in the study, it was anticipated that
participating in fun games with simple rules would increase students’ emotional adjustment,
with the experience of feeling joy and satisfaction. The implemented programme appeared to
be a comprehensive intervention, when compared with studies in the literature (İlhan, 2007;
Atama n, 2010; Güvendi & İlha n, 2017;). However, creating a permanent change in
psychological behaviours, especially in groups such as the intellectually disabled, is difficult
and cannot be considered separately, from a sociological perspective. Ataman (2010) found
that a sportive recreational activity programme applied to a mentally handicapped group in 24
sessions led to a significant difference in the subdimension scores for Neurotic Problems and
Behavioural Problems on the Hacettepe Emotional Adjustment Scale. However, no significant
difference was observed in the other sub-dimensions. Güvendi and İlha n (2017) implemented
a physical activity programme that included 24 sessions of warm-up exercises, paired exercises,
circuit-training tracks, educational games, group competition and games, and found a
significant difference in the Neurotic Problems and Behavior Problems sub -dimensions of the
Ha cettepe Emotional Adjustment Scale. İlhan (2007) demonstrated significant reductions in
neurotic and behavioral problems in intellectually retarded children as a result of a programme
that included 40 sessions of warm-up exercises, functional exercises (individual, paired, group
relay races, station tracks) and sportive games (paired, cooperative, group competitions and
games with rules). Baya zıt and Öztürk (2016) conducted a sportive recreationa l program me in
36 sessions (darts, mini volleyball, petanga, dance, bowling, primitive skating, fun athletics,
basketball, badminton, table tennis, mini-golf, step) and observed significant improvements in
the emotional adjustment levels of intellectually disabled children. When the intervention
programmes of these studies are examined, it is seen that the entertainment element is
prominent. These studies' results indicate that our intervention programme was developed with
a practical purpose. However, the number of sessions might not have been enough to change
the psychological behaviour of the individuals with intellectual disabilities. Changing social
behaviours requires the purposeful planning of therapeutic recreation program mes through
clinical evaluation (Austin, 2020). What makes therapeutic recreation different from other
intervention programmes is that they are planned with a purpose and consider the individual
characteristics of the included people (Stumbo et al., 2017). Although the APIE/D acronym
may not be used explicitly in research, the concepts of assessment, planning, implementation
and intervention a re common practices.
The increase in the psychological adjustment score of the control group in our study suggests
that although they did not participate in the therapeutic recreation programme applied in the
school, they were indirectly affected by the process. Although the control group did not follow
the programme applied to the experimental group, it is thought that they interacted with the
students from the experimental group, such as talking to each other and hearing from others.
This interaction may be why no significant difference was observed between the control and
experimental group post-test scores. Green et al. (2018) stated that a therapeutic recreation
programme applied in a school affects students' awareness of recreational activities, which
supports our finding.
SAJR SPER, 44(1), 2022 Recreational therapy in intellectual disabilities
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The literature suggests tha t the health and well-being of individuals with disabilities is
positively affected when they pa rticipate in recreational therapy programmes (Austin et al.,
2020). Mannello et al. (2020) reported that participating in recreational sports activities is
important for individuals with special needs, to be in harmony with their environment, integrate
with society, gain social acceptance and make friends. Çevik and Kabasakal (2013) also
reported that sports positively affect the socialisation process of individuals with special needs;
therefore, studies should be carried out to ensure that children with special needs participate in
sportive recreation activities. Studies have shown that recreational sports activities help
individuals gain experience and a sense of achievement and have the opportunity to express
their feelings and thoughts through games and exercises. Furthermore, through recreational
sports activities, feeling such as anger (Bielinis et al., 2019), aggression (Trajkovic et al., 2020),
and shyness (Webb & Karlis, 2019; Karagün et al., 2020), which affect emotional adjustment,
are discharged. Engaging in recreational sports contributes to the individua l's self-development
and physical development. By playing games, the individual has the opportunity to compare
themselves with other individuals and observe differences. Weaknesses and strengths are
observed (Mannello, 2020), reflecting positively on their emotional adjustment level.
The study was limited to the experimental and control group students studying at Meram
Melike Hatun Special Education Vocational School in 2018 –2019, and was limited to the data
obtained from the Hacettepe Emotional Adjustment measurement tool.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Although no significant differences in the measured emotional adjustment of intellectually
disabled students were observed following the application of recreational therapy,
improvements were observed in the evaluation. The applied intervention programme was
limited to 16 sessions, which ma y not have been sufficient. Lengthier programmes may
enhance emotional adjustment and eliminate behavioural problems. Future research directions
should include studies on interventions with individualised and purposeful plans based on the
principles of therapeutic recreation. Such studies will provide ample evidence on the
effectiveness of recreational therapy programmes. Future studies should also employ
programmes with more sessions, and across different sample groups.
Conflict of interest
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
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