Despite actual and perceived barriers to the enduring use of II, all participants spoke positively of the approach and were continuing to use II in practice.
The psychosocial benefits of organised community sports programmes far outweigh the physical health benefits. Careful consideration must be given to where on a treatment and rehabilitation pathway non-traditional therapeutic interventions such as sports programmes are offered as an adjunct to specific risk reduction interventions for people with LD in secure settings.
Purpose
People with intellectual disabilities (ID) can be vulnerable to developing mental health problems. It has been found that participating in regular exercise can help to improve emotional well-being, both in typically developing people and those with ID. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the experiences of community clients with ID who have engaged in a football training programme, and the perceived impacts on attitudes, mood and behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews with seven patients from generic or forensic community ID services were conducted. The transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Findings
Two master themes were identified from the interviews, “Striving” and “Togetherness”.
Originality/value
The most important factors related to taking part in the football programme were the social, emotional and personal growth associated with being part of a team and general enjoyment of being part of something. Although aspects of football knowledge and physical fitness were still evident, their impact seemed to be less significant. The experience of football was overwhelmingly positive.
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