摘要:Background and Study Aims: As a sport that requires technical and physical skills training, judo develops logical thinking and mental strength, as well as contributes to psychosocial development. Judo has been introduced in therapy aimed at patients with mental disorders and intellectual disability. However, the usefulness and effects of judo therapy have not been enough scientifically evaluated. The aim of this study is knowledge about the effects of judo therapy in the rehabilitation of patients with mental disorders, focusing on the psychosocial domains of subjective well-being and quality of life.Material and Methods: Of the 34 participants, 20 underwent judo therapy (12 times over a six-month period), and 14 were followed up as controls. We measured changes in subjective psychosocial domains using the Subjective Well-being Inventory (SUBI) and Japanese version of the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery.Results: Two-way ANOVA revealed a statistically significant effect of group (i.e. control vs. judo) as well as of the group × period interaction in SUBI sub-items of self-confidence and sense of accomplishment. Post-hoc tests showed significantly higher scores for these SUBI sub-items after 6 and/or 12 times of judo therapy. We found a significant effect of the group only in the sub-item ‘acceptance of the illness’.Conclusions: Judo therapy enabled considerably fast improvement in the self-confidence and sense of accomplishment of patients. Our results contribute to the development of the quantitative evaluation of judo therapy. Multi-centre, long-term follow-up studies are required to formulate the structure of effective judo therapy that is applicable to a wide variety of clinical settings.