Kids who play team sports less likely to have mental health issues

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Children who play team sports such as football, cricket or netball are less likely to suffer mental health problems, according to a new study.

However, researchers found that youngsters who only play individual sports - such as tennis, golf or gymnastics - are at greater risk of mental health issues than kids who do no sports at all.

The findings come from a major study of more than 11,200 American children aged nine to 13-years-old.

Previous research has consistently suggested that participation in organized sports as a child might help protect against mental health problems.

However, some studies have linked youth sports participation to worse mental well-being.

To shed new light, Dr. Matt Hoffmann, of California State University, and his colleagues analyzed data on the sports habits and mental health of 11,235 children aged nine to 13.

Parents and guardians reported on various aspects of the children’s mental health by filling out a form known as the Child Behavior Checklist.

The research team looked for any associations between the mental health data and the youngsters’ sports habits, while also accounting for other factors that might impact mental health, such as household income and overall physical activity.

In line with the researchers’ expectations, the analysis showed that children involved in team sports were less likely to have signs of anxiety, depression, withdrawal, social problems, or attention problems.

The research team also expected individual sports to be associated with fewer mental health difficulties, even if to a lesser extent than for team sports.

However, they instead found that children who only played individual sports tended to have greater mental health problems than those who did not play sports at all.

The findings, published in the journal PLOS One, also showed that, among girls, participation in both team and individual sports was associated with a lower likelihood of rule-breaking behavior than not playing any sport.

Dr. Hoffmann, assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at California State, said: "Overall, these findings add to a growing body of evidence that playing team sports is positively associated with mental health for children and adolescents."

He added: “Children and adolescents who played exclusively team sports, like basketball or soccer, had fewer mental health difficulties than those who did not participate in any organized sports.

"However, to our surprise, youths who participated in only individual sports, such as gymnastics or tennis, had more mental health difficulties compared to those who did not participate in organized sports.”

Dr. Hoffman suggested that further research could help clarify the link they observed between individual sports and worse mental health difficulties.