The Importance of Sports Participation on Lithuanian Adolescents’ Social and Emotional Health

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12965962
AutoresMarc Lochbaum (0000-0001-7640-7075, Vytautas Magnus University, autor de correspondencia), Aušra Lisinskienė (0000-0002-1084-9978, Vytautas Magnus University), Cassandra Sisneros (0009-0008-0220-4951, Texas Tech University), SYDNEY COOPER (0000-0001-6610-5444, Texas Tech University), Rūtenis Paulauskas (0000-0003-0001-697X, Vytautas Magnus University), Daiva Majauskienė (0000-0003-1082-2668, Vytautas Magnus University)
Año2024
Volumen103
Número1
Páginas68-79
Fecha de publicación2024-04-09
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaPhysical Culture and Sport Studies and Research (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1899-4849 • E-ISSN: 2081-2221
EditorialDe Gruyter Open (PUBLISHER • PL)
DOI10.2478/pcssr-2024-0013
OpenAlexW4394685813
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas45

Global mental health rates are staggering. Youth mental health in sport is a topic with increasing research attention. To date, most youth sport research examines mental health from isolated events as opposed to a cumulative-assets framework. Our main research question examined sport participation group differences regarding four mental health domains; emotional competence, belief-in-others, belief-in-self, and engaged living, and the composite covitality meta-indicator. To answer our research questions, 1965 Lithuanian youths (60.10% female) ranging in age from 11 to 17 ( M = 13.62, SD = 1.96) from urban and rural school districts completed our survey. Our results indicated many significant differences ( p < 0.001) emerged for participant sex, age grouping, and sport participation (competitive, leisure, or none). Only for the sport participation were the MANOVA and ANOVA effect size values at least small in magnitude. In the follow-up analyses (all p’s < 0.001), the competitive group differed from the no sport group (effect sizes medium-to-large) and to the leisure participant group (effect sizes small) in all four mental health domains and the meta-indicator covitality. Small-to-medium effect size values resulted between the leisure and no sport groups. Sport participation, even for leisure, is related to improved self-reported social and emotional health in our large sample. The practical implication is clear that all governments and such bodies should provide accessible and affordable sport participation opportunities, whether competitive or recreational. Longitudinal research, as a future direction in sport contexts, will help to best understand and move forward with youth mental health

Emotional health · Lithuanian · Mental health · Psychiatry · Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being · Psychology · Social Psychology · Youth Development and Social Support