Integrating physical activity with psychological therapies for wellbeing and behaviour change of socially disadvantaged young people.

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Young people who have experienced homelessness (YPEH) report poorer social, psychological and physical health compared with the general population (Edidin et al., 2012). However, less than one-third of YPEH access support through available services (Hodgson et al., 2014). Limited availability, lack of awareness, and fear of stigmatisation may all contribute to these health inequalities. This suggests that new strategies are needed to encourage YPEH to engage with appropriate support provisions. My PhD research explored whether physical activity (PA) could encourage YPEH to engage with psychological therapy, and compared effects of PA-based interventions which were delivered either with or without additional therapy (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Skills Training, Linehan, 2015). Preliminary findings suggested that PA may encourage YPEH to attend group psychotherapy, yet further research is needed to support this. Findings also indicated that PA alone may be effective for improving the wellbeing of YPEH without additional psychotherapy, mainly through providing an opportunity to learn and connect with similar young people. Overall, this research offered several important contributions to the field including identification of effective techniques for supporting wellbeing and behaviour change of YPEH, and identification of barriers and enablers when providing opportunities for this population. It is important that these findings reach and benefit those working directly with YPEH and similar groups (e.g. care leavers). This fellowship will enable me to translate this research to practice through organising events and developing a toolkit of resources which can be used by support providers. Beyond this, it will allow me the opportunity to publish two journal articles: one explaining how specific techniques can support wellbeing and positive behaviours when delivering activities with care-experienced young people; and one which provides guidelines for how to optimise reach and engagement of this population in research and practice settings. I would also present this research at UK-based and International conferences to maximise impact across a broad range if audiences, My long-term goal is to build on the research undertaken during the PhD through leading a large-scale research project in partnership with public sector services. To achieve this, I will meet and build relationships with such services to describe my research, identifying suitable grant opportunities, and explore the potential for developing a joint funding proposal. This work would involve all potential stakeholders (practitioners, senior leadership, and the young people themselves) to ensure any planned research follows a collaborative approach at all times.