Sick as a Parrot or Over the Moon: An Evaluation of the Impact of Playing Regular Matches in a Football League on Mental Health Service Users, Article Critique Example

Description of the Study

This article reports on a study that examines how participating in regular football league matches influences the well-being and mental health of people who use mental health services. The aim of this study is to identify and analyze alternative health provision services for mental clients that incorporate community involvement through a community activity, namely, community football league matches.

The Authors

The authors of this literature piece are based in the United Kingdom, well-qualified in their fields and are knowledgeable about the research topic proposed. They are: Paddy McElroy, Paul Evans and Alan Pringle.

• Dr. Paddy McElroy is a mental health practitioner at Levenshulme Health Centre, who is a member of the North West Mental Health Football League in Manchester, UK. Dr. McElroy is also a representative for the European Association for Sport and Social Integration. This association helps people with mental health problems use sports as an alternative method of therapy (E.A.S.I.).
• Dr. Paul Evans is also a mental health practitioner at Levenshulme Health Centre in Manchester and a representative for the European Association for Sport and Social Integration (E.A.S.I.) as well.
• Dr. Alan Pringle is a mental health lecturer at the University of Nottingham, School of Nursing in Mansfield, UK. One of his published papers highlights how mental health providers strategically use playing football to aid with mental health service delivery. (Pringle, 2009).

Statement of the Problem and the Research Question

The research problem explored in the article is the issue of mental health and how it affects individuals and communities. The research question, therefore, is what is the impact of using sports, particularly football, as an alternative method of dealing with mental health issues? Additionally, the question includes how this research relates to mentally challenged individuals and the communities to which they belong.

Review of the Literature

The literature explores the impact of playing regular football on mental health patients’ conditions, and how mental health professionals can use community involvement through a community football league to initiate and follow through with this alternative therapy for mental health promotion. The initiative involves health organizations and local government in cooperation with the local communities. The literature points out that this concept has caught on and is referred to as the “football in the community” program (McElroy, Evans, & Pringle, 2008).

Additionally, this literature states the intent of the Football Association to use the football-in-the-community concept to help eliminate the stigma associated with mental health problems. Similarly, the National Institute for Mental Health in England has initiated partnerships with football agencies to help decrease the mental health stigma against men. Various football clubs are working in tandem with this charge as well, such as the Motherwell Football Club in Scotland and the Bristol City Football Club in the UK (McElroy, Evans, & Pringle, 2008).

This concept is definitely a positive step toward combating some of the drawbacks of mental health issues, as well as the stigma associated with mental illness. Mental health issues can happen to anyone, and it is beneficial to the community for this type of program to succeed and catch on around the globe.

Research Design

The research design used with this study is quantitative because the goal of the research was to identify a relationship between two variables (mental health service users and playing football regularly in a community league). The type of quantitative study used is experimental with the intent of establishing associations between the two variables and determining a cause for an outcome. In the case of the research in the article, the mental health patients involved in the league provided information about themselves and participated in the study (McElroy, Evans, & Pringle, 2008).

The Sample and Data Collection Method

According to Herek (2012), to determine the sample population used in any research, a sampling frame is created using sampling units which are, in this case, the participants (or variables) in the study. Each sample unit is used to gather statistical information (quantitative data) for the research purpose. The population under consideration is mentally challenged individuals who participate in community football leagues. The sample size used was 131 league players and the sample size was gathered from volunteers who attended a meeting regarding the program.

To clarify, this sampling was obtained to give an evaluation of the impact of playing in the league on the mental and emotional health of the participants and how they feel about how the program affects them. This was done using a questionnaire sampling tool. This sampling technique was designed to extract the pertinent information from the study participants. The survey was designed by a mental health patient and two mental health practitioners. All three were involved with the community football league (McElroy, Evans, & Pringle, 2008).

The survey tool used demographic data provided by the study participants about themselves. Researchers then used a Likert scale to analyze the participants’ responses to the questionnaire. The questionnaire probed about such things as the participants’ energy levels, optimism and coping skills. Additionally, their sense of inclusion and anxiety tendencies were also probed (McElroy, Evans, & Pringle, 2008).

This line of questioning is a good way to solicit truthful and accurate responses to the survey questions, especially if the respondents were able to answer the questions anonymously, although this is not indicated in the article.

It is noted that the demographic analysis of the sample group was reasonably diverse. This speaks to any ethical considerations or issues that the researchers may have had to deal with. The participants were from a range of cultural backgrounds, races and nationalities and this was compared to why professional game players make up successful teams.

Data Analysis

According to McElroy, Evans, & Pringle (2008), the data analysis focused on improving the health of the participants and evaluating their internal experience, sense of inclusion and their feelings of confidence and security.

Data from the survey included 90 percent of the participants confirming they feel they have improved physical and mental health since participating in the community football league program. One respondent said it helped him control his thoughts. The data analysis also yielded positive responses to the internal experience questions. Approximately 70-80 percent of the respondents felt that participation in the program helps them feel confident, energized, enthusiastic and optimistic about the future. Additionally, 57-66 percent of the respondents reported having better coping skills, social skills and more tolerance they feel has developed since participating in the program. It is also noted that, though most of the players reported feeling alone often prior to participating in the program, 86 percent of them reported feeling included and welcome by interacting with people through the program. Finally, the last section of the questionnaire revealed that at least 81 percent of the players feel they have more confidence in themselves since joining the program and playing in the league (McElroy, Evans, & Pringle, 2008).

Conclusions

The benefits of associated with exercise and mental health are well-documented. According to Dunn & Jewell (2010), regular exercise is significant in the prevention and treatment of mental health disorders. Additionally they note that mental and physical health is integrated. The study outcome reflects a positive result in answering the research question, based on the affirmative responses to the research questions by the participants.

Playing in the football league does, indeed, have a positive impact on mental health. In comparison, it is also noted that participation in any regular exercise is beneficial for mental health, but this particular study also incorporated value-added benefits for the participants by including them in a group with people like themselves and allowing them to establish camaraderie.

Recommendations for use in the practice setting include offering this study as a model for developing similar programs in mainstream mental healthcare practices as a practical treatment intervention for mental health patients, and this is part of the focus and aim of the study, to integrate the concept into a global initiative.

References

Dunn, A., & Jewell, J. (2010, July/August). The Effect of Exercise on Mental Health. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 9(4), 202-207.

European Association for Sport and Social Interaction. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.easi-europe.info/index.php?id=9000

Herek, G. M. (2012). A Brief Introduction to Sampling . (The Regents of the University of California, Davis Campus) Retrieved from UCDavis: http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/fact_sample.html

Hopkins, W. G. (2008). Quantitative Research Design. Sports Science: A Peer-Reviewed Site for Sport Research, 4(1).

McElroy, P., Evans, P., & Pringle, A. (2008, February 6). Sick as a parrot or over the moon: an evaluation of the impact of playing regular matches in a football league on mental health service users. Practice Development in Health Care, 7(1), 40-48.

Pringle, A. (2009, August). The growing role of football as a vehicle for interventions in mental health care. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 16(6), 553-7.