Mental Health, Sport, and Positive Youth Development in Prison Systems: How Can We Move Research and Practice Forward?

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Ana Rita Martins¹  Stewart Vella²  Fernando Santos³ 

[1] Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia;Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Wollongong;Instituto Politécnico do Porto;Centre for Educational Research and Innovation

关键词: sport;    life skills;    youth;    challenges;    social justice;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.598766

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

The purpose of this opinion article is to provide insights on the need to foster mental health andPositive Youth Development (PYD) through sport within the prison system as well as identifya set of practical implications and future research directions relevant to this line of inquiry andcontextualized to the Portuguese context. This is predicated on the assumption that society ischaracterized by a complex reality where youth ranging between 15 and 18 years old face multiplesocial challenges such as the need to succeed in a highly competitive environment, cope with stress,deal with a global pandemic and subsequently flourish now and in the future as adults (Lambertet al., 2020). Further, many youth are currently incarcerated, serving sentences and need supportto become active contributors to society in the future (Barnert et al., 2015). For example, in theUnited States of America approximately more than 30.000 youth are currently incarcerated (Kaebleet al., 2015). Considering that many young people are incarcerated across the globe, there is the needto have in mind the long-term detriments associated with incarceration during adolescence suchas mental health disorders and the low reintegration rate. In many cases, young people experienceproblems with reintegration into society after their release from prison, for instance in terms ofobtaining housing and engaging in school (Anthony et al., 2009). Reintegration in society occurswhen youth return to their communities and apply skills that enable them to establish meaningfulrelationships with family and peers, contribute to their communities, obtain education and housing,as well as avoid deviant behaviors such as substance abuse and law violations (Anthony et al., 2009).Statistics across contexts also show that more than 50% of incarcerated youth develop mental healthdisorders that create barriers for a successful reintegration in society (Cocozza and Skowyra, 2000;Walmsley, 2016). Sport has been considered a valuable platform within preparation for releasethat may foster increased attitudes, thinking and behavior that ultimately leads to a successfulreintegration in society (Meek and Lewis, 2013).

【 授权许可】

CC BY