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Prospective associations between sport participation and psychological adjustment in adolescents
- Source :
- Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 72:575-581
- Publication Year :
- 2018
- Publisher :
- BMJ, 2018.
-
Abstract
- BackgroundEngaging in sport has been suggested to be mitigate against psychological distress. Using a prospective-longitudinal design, we examine whether sport participation is associated with reduced psychological difficulties in adolescents and whether associations differ by sport and personal characteristics.Methods17 550 adolescents from grade 7 to 10 (mean age=14.4 years old) self-reported on sport participation, depressive symptoms, social anxiety symptoms and loneliness in Spring 2007 and 1 year later. Analyses tested the association between sport participation and subsequent psychological difficulties using linear regression, while adjusting for pre-existing psychological and sociodemographic characteristics. Analyses also verified whether associations differed by sport frequency (weekly/more than weekly) and type (team/individual) using Wald tests of parameter constraints, as well as sex, age and pre-existing psychological difficulties using interaction terms.ResultsAfter adjusting for potential confounders, sport participation predicted lower social anxiety symptoms (beta=−0.02 (−0.04, −0.01)) and loneliness (beta=−0.04 (−0.05, −0.02)), but not depressive symptoms. Moderation analyses showed that sport participation predicted greater reductions in depressive symptoms, social anxiety symptoms and loneliness in adolescents with higher baseline scores on each outcome. Associations did not differ by sport frequency and type, sex and age. Post hoc analyses revealed bidirectional associations between sport participation and social anxiety symptoms and loneliness.ConclusionsSport participation predicts small reductions in adolescent psychological distress. Reductions seem most important in youth experiencing greater pre-existing psychological difficulty. Our findings suggest that sport participation represents a protective factor that supports psychological resilience in at-risk youth.
- Subjects :
- Male
Adolescent
Epidemiology
Psychology, Adolescent
Protective factor
Anxiety
Emotional Adjustment
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Humans
Medicine
0501 psychology and cognitive sciences
Longitudinal Studies
Prospective Studies
Association (psychology)
Depression (differential diagnoses)
Depression
business.industry
Loneliness
05 social sciences
Social anxiety
Confounding
Quebec
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
030229 sport sciences
Moderation
Well-being
Female
medicine.symptom
business
Sports
050104 developmental & child psychology
Clinical psychology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14702738 and 0143005X
- Volume :
- 72
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....b28f59b7e4e95c1112d992c01b850864