Journal of Sports Science and Medicine
Journal of Sports Science and Medicine
ISSN: 1303 - 2968   
Ios-APP Journal of Sports Science and Medicine
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©Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2019) 18, 490 - 496

Research article
Team Sport Athletes May Be Less Likely To Suffer Anxiety or Depression than Individual Sport Athletes
Emily Pluhar1, , Caitlin McCracken2, Kelsey L. Griffith3, Melissa A. Christino3, Dai Sugimoto3, William P. Meehan III1,3
Author Information
1 Division of Adolescent Medicine and Young Adult Medicine and Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopedics at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA
2 Oregon Health Science University College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, USA
3 The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention and Division of Sports Medicine, USA

Emily Pluhar
✉ PhD Division of Adolescent Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, 333 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115; USA
Email: emily.pluhar@childrens.harvard.edu
Publish Date
Received: 24-12-2018
Accepted: 03-06-2019
Published (online): 01-08-2019
 
 
ABSTRACT

The objective of the study was to determine whether 1) the proportion of athletes with mental health diagnoses and 2) athlete motivations for playing differ between team sports and individual sports. We conducted a cross-sectional study of child and adolescent athletes assessed at a sports injury prevention center. We compared self-reported anxiety, depression, and reasons for participating in sports between athletes in individual sports (e.g. gymnastics, running, diving) and team sports (e.g. soccer, football, hockey). In addition, we categorized motivation for participating in sports as 1) for fun, with associated benefits of participation including, motives such as making friends and being part of a team or 2) for goal-oriented reasons with associated benefits of participation including motives such as obtaining scholarship or controlling weight. At the time of this analysis, 756 athletes between the ages of 6 and 18 years had undergone a sports injury prevention evaluation. Most athletes were White (85%) and there was a slight female predominance (56%). Of the total population, 8% reported suffering from anxiety or depression. A higher proportion of individual sport athletes reported anxiety or depression than team sport athletes (13% vs. 7%, p < 0.01). Individual sport athletes were more likely than athletes in team sports to play their sports for goal-oriented reasons, as opposed to for fun (30% vs. 21%, p < 0.05). Individual sport athletes are more likely to report anxiety and depression than team sport athletes. The mental health benefits of participation in organized sports may vary between individual sport athletes and those playing team sports.

Key words: Mental health, athlete, organized sport, competition, depression, anxiety, adolescents


           Key Points
  • Individual sport athletes are more likely to report anxiety and depression than team sport athletes.
  • Reasons for playing sports vary between individual sport athletes and team sport athletes, wherein individual sport athletes play for goal-oriented reasons and team sport athletes play for fun.
  • The mental health benefits of participation in organized sports may vary between individual sport athletes and those playing team sports.
 
 
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