Phases in Physical Activity Initiation and Maintenance Among Men with Serious Mental Illness

There is increasing interest in the role of physical activity in mental health promotion, and research suggests that regular participation can provide mental and physical health benefits. However, there is little information on how people with serious mental illness might negotiate the challenges of initiating and maintaining physical activity. This article describes an ethnographic study which explored how four men with serious mental illness successfully incorporated physical activity into their lives. Seven phases characterised the process of initiating and maintaining participation: (i) previous experience of positive physical activity, (ii) cessation of physical activity during acute stage/s of illness, (iii) stabilisation of mental health, (iv) intensive social support, (v) immediate psychosocial benefits, (vi) diversification of physical activity forms and (vii) increasing personal control. These phases are discussed with the intention of providing guidance for those interested in offering and facilitating physical activity opportunities for men with serious mental illness

Opening doors: Poetic representation of the sport experiences of men with severe mental health difficulties

We present here a series of poetic representations that stem from our research into the sport and exercise experiences of men with severe mental health difficulties. Relying exclusively on scientific or realist tales risks omitting or misrepresenting participants' sometimes "messy" stories. By allowing space for these stories, which may not be considered "good stories" in terms of traditional narrative criteria of content, form, coherence, or plot, poetic approaches can contribute to a richer and more complex understanding of others' lives. The first poem was written in response to our experiences of doing qualitative research in the context of a rehabilitation day center for people with severe mental health difficulties. We created the subsequent poems, using only the participants' own words, as a way to further explore and represent their experiences of, and responses to, a golf activity group that was offered within the context the day center. © 2009 SAGE Publications

Training or education? Negotiating a fuzzy line between what “we” want and “they” might need

In this article, we reflect on what we consider to be an over-reliance among many in golf – including coaches, sport psychologists, and governing bodies – on a training-dominated vocabulary. To do so, we adopt a narrative approach to explore: i) the kinds of stories which circulate in golf; and ii) the stories women professional golfers told of their development and progression during life history interviews. By analysing these stories, we hope to provide a contrasting perspective on golfers’ long-term needs and show that alternatives to a training-dominated vocabulary are both possible and desirable. Through these reflections, we aim to present some more general insights concerning how to negotiate the fuzzy line between what “we” (as coaches, psychologists, governing body officials, performance directors, etc.) want and what “they” (players) might need in development terms. We conclude by suggesting an education-based alternative to the current training-dominated discourse which offers a healthier path to player retention, wellbeing, development, and progression in golf

Abandoning the performance narrative: Two women's stories of transition from professional sport

Despite its potential to illuminate psychological processes within socio-cultural contexts, examples of narrative research are rare in sport psychology. In this study, we employed an analysis of narrative to explore two women's stories of living in, and withdrawing from, professional tournament golf gathered through life history interviews conducted over 6 years. Our findings suggest that immersion in elite sport culture shaped these women's identities around performance values of single-minded dedication to sport and prioritization of winning above all other areas of life. When the performance narrative ceased to "fit" their changing lives, both women, having no alternative narrative to guide their personal life stories, experienced narrative wreckage and considerable personal trauma. They required asylum-a place of refuge where performance values were no longer paramount-to story their lives around a relational narrative that reinstated a coherent identity while providing meaning and worth to life after golf. © Association for Applied Sport Psychology

The contribution of exercise and sport to mental health promotion in serious mental illness: An interpretative project

In this article we synthesise the findings of previous research to explore the question: How can exercise and sport contribute to mental health promotion in the context of serious mental illness? We used an interpretive approach to gain insights into the sport and exercise experiences of 11 men with serious mental illness. Data were gathered through interviews and participant observation, and analysed through a content analysis and a narrative analysis of structure and form. These analyses suggest that exercise and sport contributed in three distinct ways: acting as a vehicle for other outcomes, facilitating recreation of a previous athletic identity, and providing a means to re-story self and identity through adventure experiences. We conclude that the ways in which exercise and sport can help promote mental health in the context of serious mental illness are varied, complex and closely related to the meaning the activity holds for the individual

Social support for and through exercise and sport in a sample of men with serious mental illness.

Social support is important for people experiencing serious mental illness and is also important during the initiation and maintenance of exercise. In this article we draw on interpretive research into the experiences of 11 men with serious mental illness to explore four dimensions of social support both for and through exercise. Our findings suggest that informational, tangible, esteem, and emotional support were both provided for and given by participants through exercise. We conclude that experiences of both receiving and giving diverse forms of support in this way are significant for some people living with and recovering from serious mental illness

Narrative, identity, and recovery from serious mental illness: A life history of a runner

In recent years, researchers have investigated the psychological effects of exercise for people with mental health problems, often by focusing on how exercise may alleviate symptoms of mental illness. In this article I take a different tack to explore the ways in which exercise contributed a sense of meaning, purpose, and identity to the life of one individual named Ben, a runner diagnosed with schizophrenia. Drawing on life history data, I conducted an analysis of narrative to explore the narrative types that underlie Ben's stories of mental illness and exercise. For Ben, serious mental illness profoundly disrupted a pre-existing athletic identity removing agency, continuity, and coherence from his life story. By returning to exercise several years later, Ben reclaimed his athletic identity and reinstated some degree of narrative agency, continuity, and coherence. While the relationships between narrative, identity, and mental health are undoubtedly complex, Ben's story suggests that exercise can contribute to recovery by being a personally meaningful activity which reinforces identity and sense of self

Exploring learning-oriented assessment processes

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