Rugby as a rehabilitation program in a United Kingdom Male Young Offenders’ Institution: key findings and implications from mixed methods research

Abstract

Interestingly, the intervention group showed more pro-criminal attitudes on their responses compared to the no intervention group. Finally, analysis of the 3 cycles of data collected showed that the time of the year the questionnaire was completed has a significant impact on the responses given. In contrast, the qualitative interviews showed a very positive change of attitude towards rehabilitation from the intervention group after rugby training. The implications of the results in relation to studies aimed at evaluation of the intervention programs in YOI are discussed.

The efficacy of physical activity interventions in reducing antisocial behavior: a meta-analytic review

“…Of the remaining k = 9 studies not included in the meta-analysis, 6 described a significant positive effect of physical activity on antisocial behavior (Basile et al, 1995;Goldshtrom et al, 2011;Palermo et al, 2006;Pan, 2010;Yılmaz & Soyer, 2018;Zivin et al, 2001), and 3 studies could not find a significant effect (Bunketorp Käll et al, 2015;Carter et al, 2017;Welland et al, 2020). Of the studies reporting on a significant intervention effect, n = 4 included a clinical population (maltreated children (n = 1), children with a behavioral disorder (n = 2), boys with autism spectrum disorder (n = 1)), and n = 2 reported on other samples (children with mild intellectual disorder and boys at risk for antisocial behavior).…”

Move to improve

“…Understandably, deficiencies in these capabilities may sustain or promote antisocial behavior through the impaired ability to anticipate negative consequences, suppress unwanted impulses, and adjust behavior according to social expectations (Gardner et al, 2008;Loeber et al, 2007;Nigg et al, 2007). Physical activity has been previously proposed as an effective intervention for decreasing antisocial behavior in children and adolescents (aged < 18) from the general population ( (Gubbels et al, 2016;Simonton et al, 2018;Spruit et al, 2016) and in clinical adults (i.e., adult offenders or adults suffering from substance use disorders) (Meek, 2018;Wang et al, 2014), yet existing research in young adults (especially clinical or at-risk young adults) is scarce and inconclusive (Hartmann & Depro, 2006;Sampson & Vilella, 2014;Welland et al, 2020). The observed reduction in antisocial behavior may be the result of an enhancement in neurocognitive functioning, as prior studies indicate robust positive effects on cognitive control following increased physical activity in healthy (but sedentary) youth (aged > 18) (Álvarez-Bueno et al, 2017;Liu et al, 2020) and the elderly (65 years or older) (Chen et al, 2020).…”

“…This is further supported in adult offenders (Meek, 2018) and other adult populations displaying antisocial behavior such as adult substance abusers (Wang et al, 2014). In contrast, mixed results are found in the (scarce) existing literature on young adults (Hartmann & Depro, 2006;Sampson & Vilella, 2014;Welland et al, 2020). As such, there is still uncertainty about the efficacy of physical activity interventions during this transitional phase.…”

“…Of the remaining 9 studies not included in the meta-analysis, 6 described a significant positive effect of physical activity on antisocial behavior (Basile et al, 1995;Goldshtrom et al, 2011;Palermo et al, 2006;Pan, 2010;Yılmaz & Soyer, 2018;Zivin et al, 2001) and 3 studies could not find a significant effect (Bunketorp et al, 2015;Carter et al, 2017;Welland et al, 2020). Of the studies reporting on a significant intervention effect, n = 4 included a clinical population (maltreated children (n = 1), children with a behavioral disorder (n = 2), boys with autism spectrum disorder (n = 1)), and n = 2 reported on other samples (children with mild intellectual disorder and boys at risk for antisocial behavior).…”

“…Yet, despite the increased political interest in physical activity programs to rehabilitate and support antisocial and delinquent youth (Sandford et al, 2006;Sandford et al, 2008;Welland et al, 2020), there remains a paucity of evidence as existing research is scarce and inconclusive (Hermens et al, 2017;Lubans et al, 2012;Super et al, 2018). Results from quantitative studies indicate that not all young individuals are benefitting equally from physical activity (Corazza et al, 2019;Duncan et al, 2002;Howie et al, 2016;Kelly, 2013) and some youth even experience detrimental effects including reduced self-esteem (Andrews & Andrews, 2003), increased feelings of social exclusion (Sun & Shen, 2007), and declined mental health following failure or overtraining (Brenner et al, 2007).…”