Sport participation in high school and anxiety symptoms in young adulthood

Abstract

The longitudinal associations between sport participation and symptoms of four anxiety sub-types (panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia, agoraphobia) were assessed. Participants (n = 781; 45% male; Mage = 20.34 ± 0.71 years) provided data on sport participation over five years of high school and measures of anxiety three years post high school. Sport participation was analyzed both as the total number of years playing sports over five years and the number of years playing team or individual sports. In logistic regression analyses, number of years playing sports was associated with fewer panic disorder and agoraphobia symptoms in young adulthood. Further, number of years playing team sports was associated with fewer symptoms of panic and agoraphobia, while number of years playing individual sports was associated with fewer social phobia symptoms. The results suggest that consistent involvement in sport during high school is beneficial for mental health. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the importance of studying each anxiety symptom subtype as a unique outcome.