1. Critically evaluate contemporary theoretical and empirical evidence concerning the role of physical activity in the promotion of mental health and the prevention and treatment of mental illness across diverse populations.

Knowledge & Understanding

Research Skills

2. Apply psychological theory and research evidence to analyse and communicate the relationships between physical activity and indicators of mental health, informing evidence-based practice and intervention design.

Application & Problem Solving

Communication

3. Critically appraise the physical activity–mental health literature across diverse populations, and evaluate its implications for research, policy, and practice.

Critical Reasoning & Collaboration

Research Skills

For this module students will be required to produce a 2500-word essay in which students select a mental illness and critically evaluate the strength and contribution of different sources of evidence linking physical activity to that condition. Students will be provided with formative assessment and feedback via on-line tasks and discussions throughout the duration of the module. Students will receive formative feedback throughout the module comprising a combination of task related feedback and comments on online discussion contributions.

This module provides students with a comprehensive review of current understanding in the psychology of physical activity behaviour. Students will explore key terminology, trends, measurement approaches, and policy contexts surrounding physical activity, before examining the full range of evidence used to understand the physical activity–mental health relationship, including primary research, traditional and systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and epidemiological studies. Students will critically engage with major theories of behaviour change to understand how individuals adopt and maintain physical activity, and will evaluate the role of physical activity in the prevention and treatment of anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. The module also considers relationships between physical activity, self-esteem, affect, and sedentary behaviour, enabling students to develop a nuanced and research-informed understanding of how activity and inactivity influence mental health. Module content includes:

Physical activity terminology and policy

Sources of evidence

Depression and the role of physical activity

Anxiety and the role of physical activity

Attitudes, affect, and self esteem

Models of behaviour change

In this module, you will explore what drives physical activity behaviour and why it matters for mental health. You will examine the leading theories and models that explain how people adopt and maintain active lifestyles, and you will learn to critically evaluate the strength of evidence behind them. Drawing on primary research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and large-scale epidemiological studies, you will investigate how physical activity relates to anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, self-esteem, affect and overall wellbeing. By the end of the module, you will be equipped with the psychological insight needed to understand, interpret and influence physical activity behaviour in real-world settings.

Students follow an online learning guided study programme and access support material via the virtual learning environment (e.g., Blackboard). Learning is facilitated through the completion of core tasks (e.g., asynchronous lectures and synchronous seminars) and independent study (e.g., additional reading, optional tasks, assignment preparation). In addition, core tasks are updated weekly and may include set reading, personal reflection, and discussion board tasks in addition to various other activities. Students are regularly directed to recommended resources (e.g., reading, video tutorials) to support completion of activities. Students are required to access additional support material independently. Students will receive formative feedback throughout the module comprising task-related feedback on a week-by-week basis, together with discussions to encourage peer-learning in addition to comments from relevant tutors.

Biddle, S. J. H., Mutrie, N. & Gorley, T. & Faulkner, G. (2021). Psychology of Physical Activity: Determinants, Well Being and Interventions (4th Edition). Routledge.

Biddle, S. J. H., Fox, K. R., & Boutcher, S.H. (2000) Physical Activity and Psychological Well-Being. London: Routledge.

Access to an appropriate PC, with accompanying software including Office 365 (MS Teams, One-Drive, Word, PowerPoint et al.), Adobe, and Java software.