61. Intervention study on community-participatory rural tourism for social functional recovery in mental health patients

Abstract Background As mental health services transition from institutional care to community rehabilitation, exploring innovative psychosocial intervention models has become a critical public health priority. While traditional rehabilitation methods control symptoms, they face limitations in promoting patients' social functional recovery and community integration. Previous research indicates that natural environments and meaningful social engagement positively impact mental health, yet studies employing community-participatory rural tourism as a structured intervention remain scarce. To address this gap, this study, grounded in theories of “social therapy” and “environmental psychology,” investigates the impact of community-participatory rural tourism on the social functional rehabilitation of individuals with mental illness. The research aims to enhance their social skills, life competencies, and sense of self-worth by organizing their participation in tourism service activities within rural communities, thereby providing a novel pathway for community-based mental health rehabilitation. Methods A mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating a 6-month quasi-experimental design. Sixty community-dwelling individuals with mental illness in stable conditions were non-randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 30) or a control group (n = 30). The intervention group received a 12-week, twice-weekly structured community-based rural tourism program involving: co-planning eco-tourism routes with villagers, serving as rural cultural guides, and participating in collaborative agricultural product processing and sales. The control group received routine community follow-up. Quantitative assessments were conducted using the Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS) and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) at baseline, at the end of the intervention, and 3 months post-intervention. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with selected participants and villagers to gather qualitative data. Results Post-intervention, the intervention group's SDSS total score significantly decreased from baseline (7.82 ± 1.91) to (4.48 ± 1.21) (t = 9.347, p.05). Between-group comparisons revealed significantly lower scores in the intervention group (p