Abstract
The aim of this study was to clarify psychiatric nurses' perception of the effect of recreation therapy in psychiatric nursing. 730 subjects offering recreation therapy at 97 institutions all over the country completed a questionnaire comprising 42 questions regarding the effect of recreation therapy. The data obtained were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis. Three factors were identified, with "activity" and "relativeness" as first-order factors and "nurses' effectiveness evaluation" as a second-order factor. The second-order factor model was found to fit in with the data. The result suggests that it is necessary to develop a scale to evaluate the effect of recreation therapy using two first-order factors.
