Physical Activity Levels and Barriers Among Young People with Mental Disorders: A Mixed Methods Analysis Supporting the Development of a National Sport Mental Health Clinic
57.24% (<i>n</i> = 174) of participants practiced PA/sport. Those in a sporting discipline did more PA overall, and males were almost twice as likely (OR = 1.98) to do PA/sports than females. PA levels were significantly different across mental disorder groups (highest in personality disorders and related traits, and lowest in disruptive behavioral or dissocial disorders). Participants supported the positive association between mental health and athletic performance, including the use of exercise prescriptions. Barriers to PA included excessive screentime, reduced mental health support/awareness, lack of appropriate facilities, financial difficulties, etc. Conclusion: Further research is needed. However, such results will serve to inform the development of the first documented sport mental health clinic for young people.
Authors
- Paul Mansell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3577-4474)
- Catherine M Vassallo
- Gertrude Micallef (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9111-7874)
- Matthew J. Slater (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2470-2790)
- Nicole Borg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3191-2224)
- Adrian Richard
- Daniel Vella Fondacaro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4025-9581)
- Kelly Gatt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9877-4658)
- Mark Agius (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5929-8580)
- Roberto Galea (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7278-8518)
- Catherine Gatt
Institutions
- University of Malta (MT)
- University of Staffordshire (GB)
- Mater Dei Hospital (MT)
- Mount Carmel Hospital (IE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Sports
- Published
- 2025-11-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13110399
- Primary Topic
- Sport Psychology and Performance
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00