COLUMBUS, Ohio — Adults who consistently played organized sports during their youth have fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression than those who never played or those who dropped out, says a new study from Ohio State University.
However, giving up sport is worse for mental health than not playing at all, the report published this week found.
That’s an important point, since few people consistently play youth sports until age 18, explains Chris Knoester, senior author of the study and professor of sociology at Ohio State University.
“If you play and stick with sports, it’s a positive thing for your mental health, but if you play and quit it seems to be negative — and most kids quit,” Knoester said.
* Connected: How to Win at Youth Sports (Without Going Broke or Broke). Cleveland.com wants to hear from you as we prepare an upcoming series on youth sports, in partnership with WKYC Channel 3.
Data for the study came from approximately 4,000 adults across the country who answered questions about their sports participation as children and their current symptoms of anxiety and depression as part of the National Survey on Sports and Society. committed by Ohio State.
Of those surveyed, 35% of participants did not play organized sports at all, 41% participated and dropped out, and 24% participated continuously by the age of 18.
Those who participated in organized sports consistently while growing up reported lower depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms than others. Those who quit had the worst mental health profile, with those who never played in between.
Many previous studies have focused on the impact of playing sports – or not – on the outcomes of adults. But this study is one of the first to look at what happens when young people quit the sport, Knoester said, and it shows that persistence in the game is an important issue.
“Unfortunately, it’s not a simple story that playing sports is good for kids,” he said. “It’s complicated by whether kids stick with sports and the reasons why they stick with it or leave it.”
The study, published Wednesday in Journal of Sociology of Sportshowed that most people quit the sport because they weren’t having fun or thought they weren’t good enough.
Nearly half of respondents (45%) identified “not having fun” as their reason for quitting, followed by feeling like they weren’t a good player (31%).
Other reasons for dropping out were wanting to focus on grades (16%), having a health problem or injury (16%), not being able to cope with sports (16%), having a problem with team members (15%) and having an interest in clubs and other activities (14%). Notably, 8% said they left because they were abused by a coach.
While dropping out of sports was associated with poorer mental health, “not all reasons for dropping out had the same effects,” said Laura Upenieks, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor of sociology at Baylor University.
Interpersonal reasons for dropping out of school—including not having fun, not getting along with team members, and being mistreated by a coach—were associated with adults’ depressive and anxiety symptoms, as well as inability to afford sports and athletic equipment.
But those who dropped out of school to focus on grades actually showed lower depressive symptoms, the study found.
The good news is that these findings suggest that coaches and parents can take steps to improve the experience of playing sports so that it provides positive benefits for more children, Upenieks said.
“Our findings about why children drop out of organized sports suggest that the current environment is less than ideal for everyone and that barriers to participation need to be given greater attention,” said Upenieks.
“The longer young people are exposed to a positive and encouraging sports environment, the more likely they are to develop habits that are conducive to long-term mental well-being, such as a commitment to regular exercise and cooperation with others as part of the team”, she said.
However, having so many children quit shows that organized sports often do not provide a positive environment. Furthermore, the fact that 8% said they had been abused by trainers is particularly alarming, the researchers said.
It is important to note that most participants did not have clinical levels of depression or anxiety and the differences between the three groups were relatively modest. But the differences are still significant, Knoester said.
“We need to improve youth sports to support positive experiences for everyone and make it more enjoyable,” he said.
While winning is part of the sport, adults can overemphasize that aspect and spoil the experience for many young people.
“Our results suggest that by taking away the fun and making kids feel like they’re not good enough,” Knoester said. “There can be cascading effects in terms of damage to self-esteem and confidence that can reverberate into adulthood.”
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