Promoting health, well-being, and developmental outcomes in young people experiencing homelessness : an investigation into the impact of My Strengths Training For Life™

Global and national statistics suggest young people aged between 16-25 are overrepresented in the homeless population. Late adolescence and emerging adulthood are critical developmental periods for shaping lifelong health, well-being and social inclusion trajectories. Strengths-based approaches to tackling the health and developmental inequalities associated with youth homelessness are more likely to promote positive short- and longer-term change. The present thesis investigates a bespoke strengths-based intervention for young people experiencing homelessness, My Strengths Training for Life™ (MST4Life™). Grounded in theoretical and evidence-based approaches, MST4Life™ is an intervention co-designed between a team of sport psychologists and a youth housing service to improve outcomes in young people aged 16-25. Following a systematic review of the literature (Study 1), two qualitative studies of MST4Life™ were conducted. A realist evaluation was applied to investigate how and why the programme was perceived to be effective from key stakeholders' perspectives (Study 2). Additionally, an in-depth study of the outdoor adventure education (OAE) component was carried out (Study 3). Overall, MST4Life™ was perceived to support the development of psychosocial skills, improve perceptions of health and well-being, and foster intrinsically driven motivations. Central to promoting these outcomes were a needs-supportive atmosphere, experiential learning activities, and adaptive developmental regulations. A multi-theory approach to evaluating MST4Life™ elucidated novel implications that can inform applied practice and identify future research avenues to advance strengths-based approaches. Conclusions drawn from the present thesis can inform effective intervention approaches to improving health, well-being and developmental outcomes in socially disadvantaged young people.