How Psychosocial Sport & Play Programs Help Youth Manage Adversity: A Review of What We Know & What We Should Research

A review of theories and practices pertaining to the possible underlying dynamics of international community-based resilience enhancing psychosocial sport and play programs, established to help children and youth experiencing adversity in their lives. Sport and play activities (with play being inclusive of any organized movement, exercise, game or artistic activities) can have a stabilizing impact on most children through supporting and encouraging their resilience processes, with resilience being described as the process of, and capacity for, successful adaptation despite challenging or threatening circumstances. Psychosocial sports and play programs are a relatively new approach to helping children manage adversity, so more field investigations need to be implemented to establish best practices methodology, and to discover the impact that sport and play activities may have on the enhancement of children's resilience. Additionally, more funding must be allocated for research on the effectiveness of these psychosocial sport and play programs.