Cognitive and emotional flexibility in sports: Volleyball as a neuropsychological training model in oncological care
Abstract
Cancer rehabilitation increasingly integrates exercise to improve quality of life and psychological adjustment. Yet, few approaches emphasize the neuropsychological dimension of sport participation, especially cognitively engaging team sports such as volleyball. This review explores how volleyball functions as a neuropsychological training model in oncology care, promoting cognitive flexibility, emotional regulation, and social reintegration among cancer survivors. A systematic narrative review was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases (2010–2025), following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Eight studies addressing volleyball or team-sport interventions in oncology populations were synthesized thematically. Evidence shows that volleyball participation improves executive function, attention, motivation, and resilience while reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms. The sport’s cooperative, strategic nature enhances cognitive stimulation, emotional confidence, and group belonging. Adapted formats, such as sitting volleyball, extend accessibility to frail or paediatric survivors. Volleyball represents a multidimensional intervention bridging cognitive rehabilitation, emotional stability, and psychosocial identity reconstruction in cancer recovery. Integrating such cognitively enriched sports into oncology rehabilitation can strengthen both neural and emotional resilience.
Copyright (c) 2025 Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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