Madrid
Updated:06/01/2022 20:00h
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A large-scale study of American children and adolescents has found that participation in a team sport is associated with fewer mental health difficultiesbut that those who exclusively practice an individual sport – such as tennis or wrestling – may have more mental health difficulties than those who do not practice any sport, according to Matt Hoffmannfrom California State University (USA).
Some previous research has suggested that youth participation in organized sports might help protect against mental health difficulties. Nevertheless, some studies have linked participation in youth sports with poorer mental health, thus, more detailed research is needed to determine which approaches to sports might be most beneficial.
To learn more, Hoffmann and his colleagues analyzed data on sports habits and mental health ofe 11,235 children between 9 and 13 years old. Parents and guardians reported various aspects of their children’s mental health by filling out a form known as Child Behavior Checklist. The researchers looked for any association between mental health data and children’s sports habits, also taking into account other factors that might influence mental health, such as household income and general physical activity.
In line with the researchers’ expectations, the analysis showed that children who played team sports were less likely to present signs of anxiety, depression, withdrawal, social problems and attention problems.
The researchers also expected that individual sports would be associated with fewer mental health difficulties, although to a lesser extent than team sports. However, they found that children who exclusively played individual sports tended to have greater mental health difficulties than those who did not play any sports.
However, for girls, participation in both team and individual sports was associated with a less chance of behavior problems than not doing any type of sport.
Overall, these results add to the evidence that playing team sports is positively associated with mental health in children and adolescents. The authors suggest that new research could help clarify the link they observed between individual sports and worse mental health difficulties, and that further observations are needed to investigate any causal relationship between sport participation and mental health.
“Children and adolescents who exclusively played team sports, such as basketball or soccer, had fewer mental health difficulties than those who did not participate in any organized sport. However, to our surprise, young people who participated only in individual sports, such as gymnastics or tennis, had more mental health difficulties compared to those who did not participate in organized sports, “they conclude.
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