Surf therapy for improving child and adolescent mental health: A pilot randomised control trial

The aim of this pilot randomised control trial (RCT) was to test, 1) feasibility and acceptability of a surf therapy program to improve symptoms of mental ill-health among children and adolescents, and 2) the design and procedures of an evaluative study. This pilot RCT compared a 6-week mentor-supported surf therapy program with a wait list control group, in Australian children and adolescents aged 8–18yrs (M age = 11.28, SD = 2.34; 15 females), who were help seeking for issues relating to their mental health. Exclusion criteria included if an individual was actively suicidal or experiencing a psychotic episode or being unavailable for program dates. The primary outcome was the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and study design assessed via 11 pre-defined criteria. A secondary outcome was to investigate the effectiveness signal of the intervention on child indicators of depression and anxiety, assessed via the Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale-Short Form and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Random allocation was computer generated and while it was not possible to blind participants, researchers collecting assessments were blinded to group allocation. Thirty-six youth were randomised (intervention = 18; wait list controls = 18), representing an 84% participation rate among eligible youth. Of the 11 a priori feasibility and acceptability criteria, 4 of 5 relating to the intervention, and 4 of 6 addressing the study design were fully met, with the unmet factors guiding program revision. At the completion of the intervention, children and adolescents receiving the intervention reported reductions in symptoms of depression (ES = 0.57), anxiety (ES = 0.43), emotional problems, (ES = 0.79), peer problems (ES = 0.56), hyperactivity/inattention (ES = 0.28), and overall difficulties (ES = 0.64). These reductions were not sustained 6-weeks after completion of the intervention. Surf therapy is an acceptable and feasible intervention for addressing symptoms of mental ill-health among children and adolescents. Preliminary evidence suggests that surf therapy improves symptoms of mental ill-health in the short-term but that these improvements were not sustained after the intervention is ceased.     

“Eddie would(n't) go!” perceptual-cognitive expertise in surfing

ObjectivesThe goal of the present research was to investigate the decision making skills of surfers as a function of surfing experience.DesignWe used a between-subject quasi-experimental design.MethodParticipants (N = 76) with different levels of surfing expertise were asked to indicate via a button press which waves they would try to catch in a computer-based video decision-making task that presented videos of approaching waves.ResultsThe quality of participants' decisions corresponded in a linear manner with the amount of surfing experience, i.e. the more experience a surfer had, the better they were able to decide which waves were surfable and which waves were not. Specifically, more experienced surfers were superior at deciding which waves not to surf.ConclusionsWe provided first evidence that highly experienced surfers possess a cognitive advantage compared to less experienced surfers or a non-surfing control group by being better able to distinguish between surfable and non surfable waves. The results are discussed within the expert performance approach as being supportive of the notion that surfing experience led to perceptual-cognitive adaptations that allow surfers to pick the right waves.