Abstract
The main purpose of the present study was to verify the causal relationship in a model proposing that the amount of organized camp experience a child had would influence changes in that child's mental health through the mediating concept of the enjoyment associated with organized camp experiences. Elementary school children (N=202) participated in an organized summer camp program for 1 week or 10 days. Before going to camp, they completed a demographic questionnaire and the Mental Health Pattern for Children (MHPC: pretest). Immediately after the end of the camp, they completed the latter instrument again and also the Inventory of Organized Camp Experience for Children (IOCE-C) and the Children's Organized Camp Enjoyment Scale (COCES). Results from a structural equation modeling analysis indicated that the proposed model generally showed an acceptable fit. The direct path from experience at organized camp to changes in mental health was not significant. Indeed, indirect paths showing mental health changes via enjoyment were larger than the direct path.
