The influence of inclusive sport on emotional wellbeing

World Health Day 2017: how can sport help address mental health issues in people with disabilities?

The theme of this year’s World Health Day (7 April) was depression, a topic which has a clear link to disability. According to the World Health Organization, depression is “the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide”. Depression is not only a cause of disability but also a consequence: studies have shown that symptoms of depression are 2 to 10 times more common in people with disabilities or chronic illness than those without.

A recent study (March 2017) published in the Journal of Sport for Development looked at the effect of sport on overall health in individuals with disabilities. Researchers Alexandra Devine et. al. wanted to document both the barriers and the benefits of inclusive sport for development programmes, and how these programmes affect the lives of people with disabilities in the Pacific. The study focuses on overall health and wellbeing, rather than depression specifically; however, its results show the positive effects of sport on mental health.

The authors emphasise the unique ability of sport to promote inclusion and a sense a sense of community. When athletes with and without disabilities participate in community sport programmes, it creates a platform to forge positive social ties and eliminate preconceptions of athletes with disabilities.

To analyse these effects, researchers conducted 60 interviews with a range of current and former participants in sport for development programmes. This included athletes with and without disabilities, coaches and parents of children with disabilities. Researchers then analysed how participants felt about themselves and the programmes. All participants but one reported a greater sense of self-worth after the programmes.

Many cited barriers to their overall sport experiences, whether stemming limited opportunities or lack of support from families. There were also several disability-specific barriers such as accessibility problems and communication difficulties between teammates.

Despite these barriers, participants reported many positive effects. Participants reported feeling empowered, not only in relation to sport but also in their personal lives, through improved self-worth, feelings of social inclusion, better health, improved attitudes toward disability, and financial independence, with sport opening up opportunities for employment for many participants.

The researchers hope that the findings of this study will encourage similar studies including those focused on long-term effects:

“The growing recognition of the effectiveness of sport as a tool for development, including in the SDGs, and the importance of disability-inclusive development provides an excellent opportunity to advocate for the implementation of sport-for-development programmes which are inclusive of people with disability”.

It is up to communities to implement inclusive sport programmes, given the benefits to all those involved. If people with disabilities have consistent access to such programmes, they will very likely improve in their overall health and wellbeing. Benefits extend not only to physical health but also mental strength, feelings of empowerment and stronger ties between communities.