Can physical activity help young people cope with losing a parent?

What is it about?

This qualitative study examined the role of physical activity in the grieving process following parental bereavement in young people, drawing on the same sample as the companion retrospective bereavement study (Chater et al., 2022). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 adults (8 female, mean age 31.2 years) who had lost a parent between the ages of 10 and 24, and who reflected retrospectively on their experiences. Data were analysed inductively using thematic analysis. Six themes emerged describing the functions physical activity served in bereavement: it was experienced as therapeutic, provided an emotional outlet, generated social support, built confidence, supported identity development and self-discovery, and contributed to improved physical and psychological health and wellbeing. The study explored how these functions operated across different points in the bereavement journey, from the immediate aftermath of loss through to longer-term adjustment.

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Why is it important?

Bereavement support for young people is under-resourced and poorly evidenced, with most research focused on psychological therapies rather than behavioural or lifestyle-based approaches. Physical activity is a low-cost, widely accessible, non-stigmatising resource that many bereaved young people engage in spontaneously, yet its role in grief processing had received almost no research attention prior to this study. The findings provide an empirically grounded rationale for incorporating physical activity into bereavement support programmes for children, adolescents and young adults, and highlight specific mechanisms through which exercise may help: social connection, emotional regulation, confidence building and identity reconstruction. The study sits alongside the companion IJERPH paper on parental bereavement as part of a research programme examining the long-term experiences and support needs of bereaved young people, with direct relevance for schools, youth bereavement services and public health commissioners.