The Impact of Rock Climbing on Various Aspects of Mental Health and Wellness
Around the world many people are being impacted by mental health challenges. Many individuals that are suffering from mental health challenges do not receive treatment. Therefore, there is a need to explore the therapeutic effectiveness of alternative intervention tools and activities. Rock climbing is an activity that includes many aspects of wellness including physical activity, social connections, problem solving, enhanced self-efficacy, emotion regulation, and exposure to nature. This critical review of the literature sought to explore the current research available on rock climbing to draw conclusions regarding its effectiveness as a therapeutic intervention tool. This review is a narrative systematic literature review, which aimed to answer focused research questions on rock climbing’s impact on mental wellbeing by exploring available research articles. A total of 10 studies were reviewed that focused on various aspects of mental wellbeing including broad psychological wellbeing, depression, anxiety, stress, and self-efficacy. Results revealed preliminary evidence to suggest that rock climbing is effective at reducing depressive symptoms in addition to traditional therapies. The results also indicated conflicting evidence that rock climbing enhances broad psychological wellbeing, self-efficacy, and anxiety symptoms. There was not sufficient available research to assess rock climbing’s impact on managing stress. Additionally, the research on rock climbing was not inclusive of diverse populations overall. The research was inclusive in diversity of age and developmental disability. Overall, this review suggests that rock climbing has some preliminary support based on the studies reviewed as an effective tool to use in addition to psychotherapy and medication in reducing depressive symptoms. Further research is warranted to understand rock climbing’s impact on anxiety, stress, and self-efficacy, as well as research on diverse populations.
