Sports activities as a supportive approach to the mental and social health of displaced people in Yemen

Abstract

This study explores the potential of sport and physical activities as a supportive entry point for the mental health and psychosocial well-being of internally displaced persons in Yemen. The study is situated within a protracted humanitar-ian crisis characterized by multiple psychosocial stressors and limited access to mental health and psychosocial support services. The study adopts a descrip-tive-analytical design and qualitative content analysis of selected institutional reports, organizational webpages, and academic studies published or available between 2022 and 2026. Four purposively selected applied models were ex-amined. The analysis suggests that sport activities are incorporated in some programs as supportive components that may facilitate social interaction, participation, and belonging, and some sources report positive psychosocial indicators. However, the strength of evidence varies considerably across cases, and the available data do not support causal claims or independent therapeutic effectiveness of sport. The study proposes a conceptual model for future empirical testing and recommends integrating sport activities into comprehensive MHPSS programs, with appropriate referral pathways for specialized care, while encouraging quantitative and mixed-methods research using validated measures and pre-post or comparison-group designs.