Team sports have great advantages for the little ones, not only to have fun, but also help them to socialize, stay active, develop their cognitive abilities… Now, a study has shown that participating in a group sport among ages 9 and 13 may also help reduce the risk of developing mental health problems.
The research, carried out by a group of experts from the California State University (USA), has focused on the sports habits and mental health data of 11,235 children between the ages of 9 and 13. Results published in the journal PLOS ONE have found that young people who played a team sport, such as soccer or basketball, had a lower risk of anxiety, isolation, depression, attention difficulties or social problems.
“We know that regular participation in youth sports decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was due to closures in organized sports leagues and also school sports. At the same time, research has shown that children and adolescents suffered from a mental health point of view during the pandemic, due to factors such as isolation”, explains Matt Hoffmann, lead author of the study.
In addition, he adds that “I think these results tell us that it is important for our young people to return to participating in organized sports, particularly team sports, as the pandemic calms down.”
Individual sport linked to worse mental health
However, the researchers thought they would also find a positive association between individual sport and mental health, but they were surprised to find that children who played particular sports – such as tennis or wrestling – tended to be more likely to have health problems. mental even than those who did not practice any sport.
Young people who participated only in individual sports, such as gymnastics or tennis, had more mental health difficulties
Even so, the authors have explained that in the case of girls it was different, and that a lower risk of presenting behavior that violates the rules was observed in those who practiced any sport, either individually or collectively, compared to those who they did not carry out any.
The researchers warn that “children and adolescents who played exclusively team sports, such as basketball or soccer, had fewer mental health problems than those who did not participate in any organized sport. However, to our surprise, youth 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.”
As for the explanation, according to one of the authors of the work, he points out that “these athletes do not have teammates with whom to share losses or failures, so they can bear much of the blame.” For this reason, he urges to ensure that young athletes who play individual sports receive support from parents, guardians and coaches, Hoffman said, as well as the need to increase awareness of mental health.
All these results support the belief that team sports are beneficial in childhood and adolescence, in addition, their authors indicate that further research on this association could clarify the link that has been discovered between individual sports and poorer mental health, and for this they believe that longitudinal observations should be carried out.
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