Sports for improving intergroup relations among adolescents: An intervention study in Turkey.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a sport-based intervention program that integrates sports with contact and conflict resolution training to improve intergroup relations of adolescents residing in Turkey. Thirty-two adolescents from central Turkey (Ankara) and 43 adolescents from the eastern Turkey (Hakkari) participated in the study. The intervention program included 13 weeks training and a 7-day mixed camp. A mixed-method approach was employed to assess its efficacy. Quantitative findings revealed that the intervention led to some degree of improvement in the conflict resolution capacities of adolescents. While the adolescents’ pretest scores on the Conflict Resolution Tendency Scale (CRTS)–Total were lower than their posttest scores, the mean scores on some subscales of CRTS did not yield a statistically significant increase from pretest to posttest. Qualitative analysis revealed 3 themes reflecting the efficacy of the intervention: increased conflict resolution capacities, improved intergroup relations, and facilitating program conditions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Source: Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research