Evaluating the effects of sport-based positive youth development programs in enhancing social skill development: Findings from a randomized study of LiFEsports

The current study employed a randomized study design to assess the effectiveness of a sport-based positive youth development (SBPYD) program in enhancing social skill development among a sample of youth facing inequities in access to sport, recreation, and play. LiFEsports, a 4-week intervention designed to build social skills through sport, served as the applied SBPYD program. A total of 78 youth participated in the study, with 41 participating in LiFEsports during the first four weeks of summer, while 37 youth served as the waitlist control group. Changes in youth social skills over time were assessed via parent/caregiver reports on the Social Skills Improvement System-Rating System. Changes in pre- and post-test data revealed significant improvements in social skills among those in the intervention group compared to the waitlist control group, F(1, 77) = 12.24, p < .05, η² = .14. Descriptive statistics also indicated that youth in the experimental group demonstrated an average increase of 10 percentile points based on gender and age-specific norms. In contrast, the waitlist control group showed a slight decline of 6 percentile points based. Baseline social skill scores significantly influenced post-intervention outcomes, highlighting the importance of initial competencies in predicting changes over time. This study offers insights into the influence of the LiFEsports intervention on social skill development. Findings underscore the potential of SBPYD programs in fostering social skills in school and community settings where access to sport, recreation, and play may be limited for specific populations.