J Korean Biol Nurs Sci.  2015 May;17(2):179-187. 10.7586/jkbns.2015.17.2.179.

Effects of a Recreation Therapy Program on Mental Health and Heart Rate Variability in Burn Rehabilitation Patients

• Kil MS
• Lee MH
• Lee YM

• KMID: 2173218
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7586/jkbns.2015.17.2.179

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was done to evaluate the effects of a recreation therapy program on burn rehabilitation patients to determine if the program is an effective nursing intervention which can affect mental health problems and heart rate variability.
METHODS
Subjects were 54 hospitalized burn rehabilitation patients (25 in the control group, 29 in the experimental group). The experimental group participated 6 times in a recreation therapy program led by a qualified instructor. Brief symptoms inventory-18 (somatization, anxiety, depression) questionnaire, and heart rate variability were checked before and after the recreation therapy program.
RESULTS
The mental health scale showed significant differences in somatization (p<.001), anxiety (p<.001) and depression (p<.001). There was no significant difference in heart rate variability (autonomic activity, autonomic balance, stress resistance, stress parameter and fatigue, mean heart rate, electro-cardiac stability).
CONCLUSION
The findings from this study suggest that a recreation therapy program is an effective nursing intervention to decrease the level of mental health problems of burn rehabilitation patients. However, a subsequent study is needed to develop an intervention program that will induce the effect of physiological parameters like heart rate variability (HRV).

Keyword

Burns rehabilitation; Recreation therapy; Mental health; Heart rate variability

MeSH Terms

Anxiety
Burns*
Depression
Fatigue
Heart Rate*
Heart*
Humans
Mental Health*
Nursing
Recreation Therapy*
Recreation*
Rehabilitation*