Sporting Activities for Individuals Who Experienced Trauma During Their Youth: A Meta-Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to critically examine the qualitative research on childhood trauma survivors’ experiences of sporting activities. A comprehensive search of health and social science databases, manual journal searches, and contact with experts yielded 7,395 records. Full-text screening resulted in a final sample of 16 studies. Meta-study methodology was used as a diagnostic tool to rigorously analyze the theory, methods, and findings of the included studies. Studies with explicit connections between philosophy, theory, and methodology resulted in a more robust and critical contribution to the literature. There was much diversity in terms of methodological approaches and qualitative methods which was important in revealing the multifaceted nature of experiences in sporting activities following trauma. Findings from the reviewed studies indicated that a sense of belonging, psychological escape, embodied experience, and the physical and social environmental are important considerations in the study of sporting activities for trauma survivors.