The Forgotten Continent? A Scoping Review of Psychosocial Research in African Youth Sport
Abstract
Youth sport is increasingly recognized as a platform for fostering physical health and psychosocial development. Yet, the vast majority of existing knowledge stems from research in Western contexts. On the African continent, home to nearly 25% of the world's youth, studies remain scarce, though emerging literature highlights sport's transformative potential amid diverse cultural, socioeconomic, and geopolitical realities. This scoping review synthesizes English-language, peer-reviewed research on youth sport across Africa's five geopolitical regions. Seven shared psychosocial themes emerged: socioeconomic barriers to participation, gender-based inequities, positive youth development and sport-for-development peace outcomes, coaching efficacy and leadership, mental and physical health benefits, globalization and talent migration, and sport tourism and community impacts. Findings demonstrate the sport's capacity to address local challenges. By mapping shared and region-specific themes, the review offers a comprehensive overview of youth sport knowledge in Africa while identifying key gaps to guide future psychosocial research on the continent.
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