The Effect of a Football Training Program on Hopefulness and Mental Health in Working Children

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article/Open Access/ Released under (CC BY-NC 4.0) license

Authors

1 Yadegar-e-Imam Khomeini (RAH) Shahre-rey Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, I. R.

2 Department of Physical Education and Sport Science Yadegar-e-Imam Khomeini (RAH) Shahre-rey Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, I. R.

Abstract

Working children, due to poverty and adverse living conditions, are often exposed to psychological difficulties and a diminished sense of hope for the future. This study aimed to examine the effect of a structured exercise program on hope and mental health among working children. A quasi-experimental design with pretest–posttest and a control group was employed. The participants were 30 boys aged 10–15 years from District 12 of Tehran in 2022, selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n= 15). The intervention consisted of 24 football training sessions (three sessions per week, each lasting 90 minutes) supervised by a coach holding an AFC “B” license. The control group continued with their usual daily activities. Data were collected using Snyder’s Hope Scale and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and analyzed through analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) after controlling for pretest scores. Results indicated that the experimental group showed a significant increase in hope (p = 0.015, η² = 0.19) and a significant improvement in mental health (p = 0.001, η² = 0.66) compared with the control group. These findings suggest that structured physical activity, such as football training, can serve as an effective intervention to enhance hope and promote mental health in working children. Therefore, it is recommended that sports activities such as football be considered an effective intervention to improve cognitive function and mental health in this population.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Mind, Movement, and Behavior

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 03 August 2026

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History

  • Receive Date: 28 July 2025
  • Revise Date: 05 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 13 July 2026

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