Psychosocial support and mental health wellbeing through the power of sport

To achieve this, Nudge Lebanon partnered with Generation Amazing Foundation (GA). GA is a human and social legacy-focused organization dedicated to using sport to drive positive social change and empower children, youth and their communities. Since 2010, it has engaged over 1 million people in 75 countries, building football pitches and creating programmes that foster development and inclusivity. Together, Nudge Lebanon and GA organized a three-day Training of Trainers (ToT) program in Tripoli. Twenty community professionals1 all involved in inclusion, psychosocial support and wellbeing, participated in this training​​.

The training aimed to introduce the community professionals to the topic of “Psychosocial Support and Mental Wellbeing” in the context of supportive and positive behaviors, through sport and physical activity. Effective sports for development education can equip practitioners with the skills to create positive environments and foster healthy, reciprocal relationships; cultivating self-awareness that influences positive behavioral change.

Psychosocial Support and Mental Wellbeing

Despite being well-versed in child safeguarding, there is a significant need to incorporate mental health into coaching techniques in Tripoli. Cultural misconceptions and stigma about mental health exacerbate the already serious issue of CL. These barriers can prevent effective mental health interventions, thereby intensifying the challenges faced by child laborers. GA and Nudge Lebanon have identified the psychosocial support module as the best fit to the context of the CL situation in Tripoli, and thus it was integrated into the TOT programme.

This module aimed to bring together various community professionals by offering a comprehensive training program that includes a psychosocial support curriculum, training resources, monitoring and evaluation tools, and strategies to help them overcome challenges. The training highlighted the importance of destigmatizing mental health issues and fostering a supportive environment where children feel safe to seek help. It incorporated both theoretical content and practical applications, including the use of F4D tools. These tools utilize football-related activities to teach 21st century skills, social and emotional learning, and play-based activities making it easier for children to open up about their mental health.

Real-Life Stories and Behavioral Interventions

To contextualize the mental health challenges faced and psychosocial support needed by child laborers, Nudge Lebanon presented two real-life case studies from focus group discussions with children in Tripoli. These stories, featuring Amina and Sami, highlighted the physical, economic, and psychological stresses that child laborers endure. The vignettes served as powerful tools to illustrate the mental health struggles of real children in Tripoli and the importance of addressing them​​​​.

This behavioral intervention, rooted in training and education, aimed to shift attitudes towards mental health and wellbeing to foster empathy and understanding among coaches who will later work with children and address psychosocial support needed.

Measuring the Impact

To evaluate the impact of the mental health module, Nudge Lebanon conducted pre- and post-training surveys. These surveys measured three key attitudes towards mental health: help-seeking behavior, indifference to stigma, and psychological openness. The statements were adapted from the Inventory of Attitudes Towards Seeking Mental Health Services (IATSMHS).

Help-seeking behavior refers to an individual's willingness to seek professional assistance for mental health challenges. Indifference to stigma measures the extent to which individuals reject negative beliefs and biases associated with mental health issues and those affected by them. Psychological openness assesses an individual's readiness to acknowledge and discuss their own mental health needs and experiences openly. By evaluating these attitudes, the surveys aimed to provide a comprehensive picture of the coaches' perspectives on mental health before and after the educational intervention.

The survey included 22 statements related to these attitudes, with participants rating their agreement on a 5-point Likert scale, from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The findings revealed a significant positive shift in coaches' attitudes towards mental health. There was a notable 5.7% increase in overall approval of statements supportive of mental health, statistically significant at the 1% level.

Specifically, approval for seeking support from mental health professionals rose by 7.4%, a change significant at the 1% level. The stigmatization of mental health issues decreased by 6.8%, and there was a 7.1% increase in participants' openness to discussing psychological issues with health professionals after the training.

It is worth noting that the most significant improvement was observed in participants' attitudes towards help-seeking behavior. This indicates a marked increase in their willingness to seek professional mental health support when needed, showcasing a critical shift towards a proactive mental health attitude. 

About the authors

Mariam Abdelnabi is a doctoral researcher at Warwick Business School. Her research explores how individuals’ financial footprints can impact decision-making in risky contexts, with a specific focus on gambling behaviour and its associated harms. Mariam also serves as a Data Analyst at Nudge Lebanon, where she works on policy-driven initiatives in the region. Some of the projects she worked on include financial inclusion, public health, and child protection.

Affiliations: Nudge Lebanon, Warwick Business School

Fadi Makki is a Partner & Director at the Boston Consulting Group, co-leading its Behavioral Science Lab. He is the founder of Nudge Lebanon and former Head of Qatar’s behavioral science unit – B4Development – on the Organizing Committee for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. He served as co-chair of the WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on behavioral insights for health, between 2022 and 2024, and was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Future Council on Behavioral Science.

Affiliations: Nudge Lebanon, Boston Consulting Group

Aya Haidar is the vice president and executive director at Nudge Lebanon.  With over 9 years of experience working on projects and initiatives related to public health, child protection, education, environmental sustainability and others, Aya plays key roles in managing teams and stakeholders, oversight of field research and implementation, leading the research and design efforts and capacity building in different contexts ranging from the MENA to Africa and Central Asia. Aya holds a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics and a Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering both from the American University of Beirut.

Affiliations: Nudge Lebanon

Nabil Saleh is a behavioral scientist with 10 years of MENA-focused experience in research methods, experimental design, and data analysis. He is an expert in designing, implementing, and evaluating behavior change interventions in several policy areas, including health, financial inclusion, and prevention of violence.

Affiliations: Nudge Lebanon

Amina Hamad currently serves as a Strategy Expert at the Government Development Bureau. Prior to this role, she spent 8 years the Generation Amazing Foundation, where she utilized sport as a catalyst for youth leadership, community building, and sustainable social development.

Affiliations: Generation Amazing Foundation (formerly)