A Qualitative Exploration of Men’s Experiences of an Integrated Exercise/CBT Mental Health Promotion Programme

This study investigated qualitatively the experiences of men who took part in a 10 week integrated exercise/psychosocial mental health promotion programme, "Back of the Net" (BTN). 15 participants who completed the BTN programme were recruited to participate in either a focus group discussion (N = 9) or individual interview (N = 6). A thematic analytic approach was employed to identify key themes in the data. Results indicated that participants felt that football was a positive means of engaging men in a mental health promotion program. Perceived benefits experienced included perceptions of mastery, social support, positive affect and changes in daily behaviour. The findings support the value of developing gender specific mental health interventions to both access and engage young men. © 2012 by the Men's Studies Press.