African Behavioral Neuroscience | 23 March 2006
School-Based Sports Programmes and Adolescent Depression Rates Among Somali Refugee Youth in Kenya: An Action Research Study
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Abstract
Somali refugee youth in Kenya are at increased risk for depression due to trauma, language barriers, and social isolation. An action research study was conducted with a sample of 150 Somali refugee adolescents in Kenyan schools. The programme consisted of weekly physical education classes and team sports activities, supplemented by mental health workshops led by trained facilitators. There was a statistically significant decrease in depressive symptoms among participants who engaged regularly in the school-based sports programmes (p < 0.05). School-based sports programmes appear to be an effective intervention for reducing adolescent depression rates in Somali refugee youth, with a notable reduction observed. Future research should explore long-term effects and scalability of such programmes across different Kenyan schools serving Somali refugee populations. Somali refugees, youth, depression, sports programmes, action research