Wonders of surfing confirmed in Deakin study

THE popular idea that going for a surf does wonders for mental health now has some scientific backing, with a preliminary study from Deakin University finding there are clear benefits for children and adolescents.

Dr Lisa Olive from Deakin’s School of Psychology conducted the research with the help of Surf Coast-based therapeutic surfing charity Ocean Mind and two groups of children aged between 8 and 18.

At the end of the six-week program, those who received surf therapy had reductions in depression, anxiety, hyperactivity and inattention symptoms, as well as fewer emotional and peer problems, while those in the control group had increases in those symptoms.

The report on the pilot randomised control trial will be published in next month’s edition of Psychology of Sport and Exercise.

“It was Rachel’s [Ocean Mind founder Rachel Parker] good foresight to see the need for using surfing programs with youth down on the Surf Coast, so I also saw the potential in what she was doing and she wanted to make sure her programs were evidence-based, so Deakin came on to independently evaluate their programs,” Dr Olive said.

She said the study suggested a range of factors in surfing contributed towards improving mental health, including the physiological responses to exercise and some things specific to surfing.

“That might relate to the feeling of adrenaline, being in a higher-risk situation and the release of feel-good hormones; or reductions in stress hormones like cortisol.

“But there’s also psychological aspects, so things like learning a new skill that’s challenging can improve your confidence and what we call self-efficacy, which is your belief in your ability to master challenging activities.

“What we’ve seen in our research is that participants are telling us that the idea transfers not just from the surfing but then into other areas of their lives.

“For example, the kids in school – things they felt they couldn’t do in school, or if they were disengaged from school, that idea of being able to do something that’s difficult, and be successful, plays out in that environment as well.”

Dr Olive said the social context and “sense of belonging” in the group was particularly imporant in surf therapy.

“Ocean Mind has done such a great job in creating a psychological safe space for children to take risks and explore their vulnerabilities and talk about the difficulties they might be talking about with their mental health.”

She said the quality of the waves or the surfing was not generally a factor, and the act itself of suiting up and paddling out was beneficial.

“If you’ve spoken to anyone who’s been surfing, even one or two times, generally the consensus is that feeling of ‘stoke’.

“It might be a cliche, but there’s a sense of excitement and exhilaration of trying something new, even if you’re not good at it and you don’t stand up; there’s something about it that’s contagious.”