Speaker
Description
Long-term unemployment and homelessness lead to serious physical, psychological and social stress. Empirical studies draw attention to a downward spiral that often begins with the loss of employment, intensifies with the transition into long-term unemployment and homelessness, and makes reintegration into social structures such as employment increasingly difficult. Sport and exercise in groups improves physical and mental health and is considered a suitable socially integrative medium. However, people affected by long-term unemployment and/or homelessness show significantly reduced activity levels and barriers such as costs and social stigma further hinder access to organized sport, so that affected people usually cannot benefit from the advantages and potentials of sport. The current state of research on sports and physical activity programs with long-term unemployed and homeless people suggests that participation in sports and physical activity programs can bring about social (re)integration potentials in addition to positive changes on a physical, psychological, and social level. Initial studies show that participation in sports and physical activity programs can have a positive impact on the generation of gainful employment, housing, and education. The causal relationships here are very complex and require a holistic view of physical, psychological, and social influences that can be elicited by participation in sport. In order to exploit the promising potentials of sport and exercise in groups as a targeted measure for social integration among long-term unemployed and homeless people, the research field needs to be reviewed and investigated from multiple perspectives.
