Enhancing functional recovery for young people recovering from first episode psychosis via sport-based life skills training: outcomes of a feasibility and pilot study.

Early intervention within First Episode Psychosis (FEP) recovery efforts support functional recovery in several ways, including increasing levels of (1) physical activity (2) life skills, and (3) social connectivity. Sport has been proposed as an ideal platform to target these three goals simultaneously. The primary aims were to assess the feasibility of utilising sport-based life skills within FEP recovery efforts and test intervention components. The secondary aim was to evaluate the potential recovery benefits. Seven young people (aged 15-25 years) with FEP participated in a six-week sport programme alongside their support workers (community and peer workers) from the service, including peer workers with a lived experience of psychosis. The programme consisted of various sporting activities, which were designed to promote physical activity, maximise social connectivity, and teach life-skills (e.g. motivation, emotional regulation, and goal-setting) that are relevant and transferrable to other contexts (e.g. school, employment, independent living). The support participants engaged with the programme at the same level as the young people, with the role of providing support and normalising/modelling engagement. The young and support participants provided feedback during and after the programme via questionnaires and interviews. Young participants self-reported physical activity levels, psychological needs, recovery dimensions, and life skills pre- and post- intervention using established psychometric tools. We used thematic analysis to analyse the qualitative data and compared this information with other data collected (e.g. attendance, feedback, quantitative measurements). The study culminated with a process evaluation. The results indicated that, despite challenges with engagement for young people with FEP, sport-based life skills programming may be a feasible and useful recovery outlet. In addition, the results highlighted specific intervention components that were useful to promote engagement and recovery benefits. This study serves as a critical foundation for future sport-based work within FEP recovery.

Qualitative investigation of perceived barriers to and enablers of sport participation for young people with first episode psychosis.

AIMS: The aim and objective of the study was building on a previous call for the development of sport-based life skills interventions for young people with first episode of psychosis (FEP) (Brooke, Lin, Ntoumanis, & Gucciardi, 2018), to explore the barriers and enablers to sport participation for young people with FEP. METHOD: We used a semi-structured interview format to conduct one-to-one interviews with young people (aged 16-25; n = 10) with FEP, and one-to-one interviews and focus groups with their clinicians (n = 33). Questions focused on barriers and facilitators (intrapersonal, interpersonal, psychological, environment, health/safety, logistical) to sport participation young people with FEP. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Four themes (and 11 sub-themes) emerged from the analysis: (a) the need for sport in FEP recovery (perceived benefits; resource gap); (b) barriers (logistical; psychological); (c) enablers (positive environmental expectations and experiences) and (d) programme design (sport programme/type; life skills training; application to barriers/enablers). CONCLUSION: The participants responded favourably to the idea of using sport to promote recovery post-FEP, and provided an insight into why sport is currently underutilized within FEP recovery efforts. The barriers, enablers, and specific suggestions for how to limit the barriers and strengthen the enablers are valuable for sport-based intervention design, and may be applicable to non-sport-based interventions for people with FEP.

Is sport an untapped resource for recovery from first episode psychosis? A narrative review and call to action.

AIM: The objective of this narrative review is to address the question: Should sport-based life skills interventions be developed for young people recovering from first episode psychosis? METHODS: A prose was developed through a broad, critical narrative review of literatures on (1) first episode psychosis recovery (FEP); and (2) life skills and sport, highlighting the conceptual (and limited empirical) links between the two. This style of review allowed for a critical examination of evidence from seemingly distinct literatures to address a question yet to be explored empirically. RESULTS: The review process highlighted important overlaps between psychosis recovery and sport. A review of the FEP recovery literature reveals that important components of an individual's recovery following a psychotic episode are: (1) physical activity, (2) opportunities to build life skills, and (3) social connectivity. A review of the sport and life skills literature suggests that sport can be a powerful platform from which to: (1) promote physical activity, (2) teach life skills, and (3) foster social connectivity within vulnerable populations. Despite the clear links between the two fields, mental health interventions that combine both life skills training components and physical activity in a context that promotes social connectivity are scarce to none. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that sport-based interventions could be an opportunity to provide life skills training, social connectivity and physical activity opportunities in one intervention to individuals recovering from their first psychotic episode. We call for their development, and provide empirically-based recommendations for intervention design.