The persisting influence of organized sports participation on mental health and wellness: a longitudinal repeated measures study of adolescent female athletes
PurposeWe examined if female adolescent athletes demonstrated changes on mental health measures 6-months after the end of a sport season compared to an immediate post-season assessment, and whether those who were actively playing sports 6-months after the end of the season reported different mental...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sports and Active Living |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1527622/full |
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| author | Rachel Meyers Madison L. Brna Madison L. Brna Madison L. Brna Veronica Hogg-Cornejo Veronica Hogg-Cornejo Catherine Donahue Catherine Donahue Emily A. Sweeney Emily A. Sweeney Aubrey Armento Aubrey Armento David R. Howell David R. Howell |
| author_facet | Rachel Meyers Madison L. Brna Madison L. Brna Madison L. Brna Veronica Hogg-Cornejo Veronica Hogg-Cornejo Catherine Donahue Catherine Donahue Emily A. Sweeney Emily A. Sweeney Aubrey Armento Aubrey Armento David R. Howell David R. Howell |
| author_sort | Rachel Meyers |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | PurposeWe examined if female adolescent athletes demonstrated changes on mental health measures 6-months after the end of a sport season compared to an immediate post-season assessment, and whether those who were actively playing sports 6-months after the end of the season reported different mental health ratings compared to athletes who were not.MethodsParticipants underwent three assessments: a pre-season, immediate post-season, and final 6-month post-season assessment on measures of anxiety ratings, depressive symptoms, grit, peer relationships, fatigue, and body appreciation.ResultsParticipants reported significantly higher anxiety ratings at 6 months post-season compared to immediately post-season (6.6 ± 4.2 vs. 7.7 ± 4.5; p = 0.02), but no significant differences across time for other outcome measures. Those who were actively participating in sports at the 6-month follow-up reported significantly higher body appreciation ratings than those who were not (41.7 ± 5.9 vs. 37.1 ± 7.6; p = 0.01).DiscussionOur findings indicate active sports participation is associated with higher body appreciation among female athletes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-daa42c284f1b418d93c84c152e467f28 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2624-9367 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sports and Active Living |
| spelling | doaj-art-daa42c284f1b418d93c84c152e467f282025-08-20T02:29:46ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sports and Active Living2624-93672025-04-01710.3389/fspor.2025.15276221527622The persisting influence of organized sports participation on mental health and wellness: a longitudinal repeated measures study of adolescent female athletesRachel Meyers0Madison L. Brna1Madison L. Brna2Madison L. Brna3Veronica Hogg-Cornejo4Veronica Hogg-Cornejo5Catherine Donahue6Catherine Donahue7Emily A. Sweeney8Emily A. Sweeney9Aubrey Armento10Aubrey Armento11David R. Howell12David R. Howell13Sports Medicine Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, United StatesSports Medicine Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, United StatesDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United StatesUniversity of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesSports Medicine Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, United StatesDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United StatesSports Medicine Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, United StatesDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United StatesSports Medicine Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, United StatesDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United StatesSports Medicine Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, United StatesDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United StatesSports Medicine Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, United StatesDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United StatesPurposeWe examined if female adolescent athletes demonstrated changes on mental health measures 6-months after the end of a sport season compared to an immediate post-season assessment, and whether those who were actively playing sports 6-months after the end of the season reported different mental health ratings compared to athletes who were not.MethodsParticipants underwent three assessments: a pre-season, immediate post-season, and final 6-month post-season assessment on measures of anxiety ratings, depressive symptoms, grit, peer relationships, fatigue, and body appreciation.ResultsParticipants reported significantly higher anxiety ratings at 6 months post-season compared to immediately post-season (6.6 ± 4.2 vs. 7.7 ± 4.5; p = 0.02), but no significant differences across time for other outcome measures. Those who were actively participating in sports at the 6-month follow-up reported significantly higher body appreciation ratings than those who were not (41.7 ± 5.9 vs. 37.1 ± 7.6; p = 0.01).DiscussionOur findings indicate active sports participation is associated with higher body appreciation among female athletes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1527622/fullfemale adolescent athletesmental healthsports participationphysical activityathlete |
| spellingShingle | Rachel Meyers Madison L. Brna Madison L. Brna Madison L. Brna Veronica Hogg-Cornejo Veronica Hogg-Cornejo Catherine Donahue Catherine Donahue Emily A. Sweeney Emily A. Sweeney Aubrey Armento Aubrey Armento David R. Howell David R. Howell The persisting influence of organized sports participation on mental health and wellness: a longitudinal repeated measures study of adolescent female athletes Frontiers in Sports and Active Living female adolescent athletes mental health sports participation physical activity athlete |
| title | The persisting influence of organized sports participation on mental health and wellness: a longitudinal repeated measures study of adolescent female athletes |
| title_full | The persisting influence of organized sports participation on mental health and wellness: a longitudinal repeated measures study of adolescent female athletes |
| title_fullStr | The persisting influence of organized sports participation on mental health and wellness: a longitudinal repeated measures study of adolescent female athletes |
| title_full_unstemmed | The persisting influence of organized sports participation on mental health and wellness: a longitudinal repeated measures study of adolescent female athletes |
| title_short | The persisting influence of organized sports participation on mental health and wellness: a longitudinal repeated measures study of adolescent female athletes |
| title_sort | persisting influence of organized sports participation on mental health and wellness a longitudinal repeated measures study of adolescent female athletes |
| topic | female adolescent athletes mental health sports participation physical activity athlete |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1527622/full |
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