The Association Between Participating in Sports and Victimization: Results From a Longitudinal Sample of Males

PurposeParticipation in organized youth sports (OYS) has been linked to higher levels of physical activity (PA) in adulthood. However, the longitudinal associations of OYS and PA compared to unorganized sports and non-participation have not been extensively studied. This study aims to explore the associations of both organized and unorganized sports in adolescence with PA levels in midlife.MethodsParticipants in this study were drawn from the on-going, population-based prospective Young Finns Study. Data from follow-ups conducted in the years 1980, 1983, 1986, and 1989 were utilized to divide the participants into groups of active OYS, active unorganized sports, and non-participants, separately at the ages of 9 (n = 548), 12 (n = 727), 15 (n = 752), and 18 (n = 767). The groups were formed according to self-reported frequency and intensity of leisure time PA and participation in sports club activities in adolescence. Accelerometer-derived PA (mean daily minutes of sedentary time [ST], light-intensity PA [LPA], and moderate-to-vigorous PA [MVPA]) in midlife was assessed in 2018-2020. Differences in adult PA between the youth PA groups were analyzed using analysis of covariance, separately in males and females.ResultsCompared to non-participants, boys who actively participated in OYS at age 9 had lower ST (mean difference [SE]: -38 [15], p = 0.045) and higher LPA (29 [12], p = 0.050) in midlife. No significant group differences were observed for girls at age 9 or for either sex at age 12 or 15, or for boys at age 18. In girls at age 18, significant group differences were found in MVPA in midlife in favor of both organized and unorganized sports compared to non-participants (15 [3], p < 0.001; 8 [3], p = 0.014, respectively).ConclusionsActive participation in organized sports in boys at age 9 and active participation in both organized and unorganized sports in girls at age 18 associated with higher levels of physical activity in midlife. These findings suggest that promoting both types of sports participation in adolescence may contribute to the development of a physically active lifestyle across the life course.Support/Funding SourceThe work was supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

BackgroundRegardless of competitive athletes’ body image pressures, only few studies have focused on adolescent sport participants’ body image and the findings are inconclusive. Furthermore, the role of competitive goals in sports on adolescents’ body size perception has not been studied. We examined the factors associated with adolescents’ competitive goals in sports and body size perception, and the associations between adolescents’ competitive goals in sports and body size perception.MethodsThe cross-sectional study consisted of 475 goal-oriented sports club participants and 936 reference youths (aged 14–16 years). The study questionnaire included multiple choice items on health behaviours, motives to exercise, competitive goals in sports and body size perception. The multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the associations.ResultsAdolescents with competitive goals in sports perceived their body size as about the right size more frequently than reference youths (68% vs 47%, p < 0.001 in girls; 74% vs 61%, p < 0.001 in boys). More than one-fourth of girls with competitive goals in sports perceived themselves as overweight, although only 7% of them were overweight. Adolescents with appearance/weight motives to exercise and poor perceived physical fitness had higher odds of perceived fatness. Additionally, BMI was positively associated with perceived fatness and negatively with perceived thinness. Having competitive goals in sports was not independently associated with perceived fatness or perceived thinness.ConclusionsAdolescents’ BMI, appearance/weight motives to exercise, and perceived physical fitness were more strongly associated with body size perception than their competitive goals in sports. However, perceived fatness among girls with competitive goals in sports should be considered in organized sports.

The aim of the present study was to analyze the association between sports participation in childhood and adolescence and the practice of physical activity at different intensities in adulthood, and to verify if some sports participation characteristics such as number of sports; type of sport (individual, collective or a combination of both) and total estimated sports participation time are associated with the different physical activity intensities in adulthood. This is a cross-sectional study. This study included 129 young adults of both sexes aged 18-25 years. Sports participation in childhood (7-10 years) and adolescence (11-17 years) was retrospectively estimated through specific questionnaire. Light, moderate, vigorous and moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity was objectively estimated by accelerometers. To verify the association between SP in childhood and adolescence and BP intensities in adults, multiple linear regression was adopted, with 5% significance. Analyses showed that, in females, sports participation in childhood (β = 0.315; R2 = 0.14; P = 0.020) and persistence in sports participation (β = 0.364; R2 = 0.18; P = 0.007) were positive predictors of vigorous physical activity in adulthood. In addition, the comparison according to the specificities of the sport practice, indicated that participation in two or more sports in childhood, one sport and collective sports in adolescence and at least one year of sports participation throughout childhood and adolescence were associated with longer time in vigorous physical activity intensity and MVPA (minutes/day) in adult females (P < 0.05). It could be concluded that sports participation indicators in childhood and adolescence were considered predictors of vigorous physical activity in adult females. In addition, number of sports, type of sport and practice time in childhood and adolescence seem to predict vigorous and moderate to vigorous levels of physical activity for adult females.

Sport may protect against symptoms of mental disorders that are increasingly prevalent among adolescents. This systematic review explores the relationship between adolescent organized sport participation and self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. From 9,955 records screened, 29 unique articles were selected that included 61 effect sizes and 122,056 participants. Effects were clustered into four categories based on the operationalization of sport involvement: absence or presence of involvement, frequency of involvement, volume of involvement, and duration of participation. Results from the random-effects meta-analyses indicated that symptoms of anxiety and depression were significantly lower among sport-involved adolescents than in those not involved in sport, although this effect size was small in magnitude. Meta-regression was used to identify how age and sex explained heterogeneity in effects. Although these results do not signify a causal effect, they do support theorizing that sport participation during adolescence may be a protective environment against anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Background: A body of literature shows that child maltreatment (CM) is associated with subsequent adiposity and inflammation, but few studies examine factors that buffer against these outcomes among survivors of CM. Child and adolescent team sports participation has been associated with positive mental and physical health outcomes, including decreased risk of obesity. However, it is unclear if these benefits extend to longer-term cardiometabolic outcomes in maltreated individuals, given that CM survivors often have impaired stress coping and may use obesogenic behaviors as a coping mechanism. The goal of this study was to assess, within a nationally representative sample of CM survivors, if sports team participation during adolescence is associated with decreased adiposity and inflammation in young adulthood. Methods: The analytic sample consisted of individuals who retrospectively self-reported CM (sexual, emotional, and physical abuse and neglect) in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N=3,298). We examined associations between intended team sports participation in grades 7-12 and BMI (kg/m2), waist circumference (cm), log transformed high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP; mg/L), obesity (&gt;30 kg/m2), high waist circumference (&gt;88.9 cm for women, &gt;101.6 cm for men), and elevated hsCRP (&gt;3 mg/L) at ages 24-32 using linear regression and predictive margins. Models adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, childhood household education, if raised by both biological parents, school type and size, subclinical infectious disease symptoms (hsCRP only), and BMI during adolescence. All analyses incorporated complex sample weighting. Results: 57% (1883/3298) of the sample reported plans to participate in sports teams during the school year as adolescents. The mean young adult BMI, waist circumference, and hsCRP values were 29.35 kg/m2 (SD=0.21), 98.64 cm (SD=0.50), and 4.73 mg/L (SD=0.17), respectively. In the overall sample, adolescent sports participation was inversely associated with waist circumference (B=-1.73,95% CI:-0.13, -2.13), log hsCPR (B=-0.25,95% CI:-0.13,-4.01), and elevated hsCRP (PR= 0.82,95% CI:0.74,0.92). When examining specific sports, the protective impact was especially pronounced among women who participated in track (BMI B=-2.37, 95% CI,-1.62,-3.13; waist circumference B=-5.11,95% CI:-3.14,-7.08; log hsCRP B=-.52,95% CI:-0.30,-0.74). Conclusions: There is evidence that team sports participation is associated with decreased adiposity and inflammation in men and women with histories of CM. Although intervention studies are needed to establish a causal relationship, these findings suggest that team sports participation during adolescence may help promote cardiometabolic health in survivors of CM.

Child and adolescent sport participation can provide a multitude of developmental benefits, such as improved physical health as well as psychosocial and motor skill development. Yet confronting parallel research identifies how a significant proportion of sport participants will either temporarily, or permanently, dropout of child and adolescent sport within relatively short timeframes (e.g. one year) at younger age groups (e.g. Under 12's). On the presumption of dropout being a less desirable behavioural outcome, this chapter initially highlights the problem of childhood and adolescent sport disengagement. Then, the concept of Bio-Ecological Development Theory and the 'Process-Person-Context-Time' (PPCT) model is utilised to identify the potentially multiple – and potentially inter-connected – factors which may account for dropout. From the same perspective, the chapter argues the importance of 'coaching micro-system climates' to help prevent dropout and sustain child and adolescent sport participation. The characteristics of more preferred coaching climates are outlined, providing implications for practitioners as well as sporting organisations to improve the longevity of child and adolescent sporting involvement.

To examine the associations of perceived physical environmental factors (availability of physical activity (PA) attributes at home, PA facilities in the neighbourhood, neighbourhood pleasantness and safety) and social environmental factors (parental sports behaviour and parental rule regarding sports participation) with adolescent leisure-time sports participation, and to explore whether the associations found were mediated by individual cognitions as derived from the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Cross-sectional study. In school-year 2005/2006 adolescents from seventeen schools in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, completed a questionnaire during school hours that included self-reported measures of leisure-time sports participation, perceived physical environmental factors and TPB variables. Information about parental sports behaviour and parental rule was obtained from a questionnaire that was completed by one parent of the adolescents. Data were collected from 584 adolescent-parent combinations. Data were analysed with multi-level logistic regression analyses. Availability of PA attributes at home (OR = 1·26), parents' sports behaviour (OR = 2·03) and parental rule (OR = 1·64) were associated with a higher likelihood of adolescents' leisure-time sports participation. These associations were partly mediated by attitude and intention. Adolescents were more likely to engage in leisure-time sports when PA attributes were available at home, when parents participated in sports activities and had a rule about their offspring participation in sports activities. These associations were partly mediated by attitude and intention. These results suggest that parents can importantly promote sports participation among their offspring by making sports activities accessible and a family routine.

This study provided initial evidence of validity and reliability of the Interpersonal Context in Youth Sport Questionnaire (ICYSQ), an instrument designed to offer a comprehensive assessment of perceived interpersonal factors that can affect adolescent motivation and sport participation. Two studies were designed for the purposes of item development and selection and to provide evidence of structural and criterion validity of ICYSQ scores, respectively (N = 670; M age = 15.13 years, standard deviation = 1.54). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the adequacy of a 43-item ICYSQ measurement model consisting of 12 interpersonal dimensions consistent with the conceptual framework of the study that appeared invariant across gender. Composite reliability estimates reached or exceeded 0.70 and average variance extracted for each ICYSQ subscale was greater than 0.50. Overall, higher scores on ICYSQ positive dimensions were associated with greater perceived competence, enjoyment, and commitment in sport. Different ICYSQ subscales predicted different motivational indices and this varied sometimes as a function of gender. These findings suggest that the ICYSQ is a useful instrument to inform the study of complex social relational contexts that play an integral role in adolescent sport participation and motivation.

This study assessed whether participants’ social identification with their team moderated the association between self-determined motivation and mental health and wellbeing among adolescent male team sports participants. Participants were 383 adolescent male team sports participants. Moderated regression analyses showed that, at average and higher levels of social identification, self-determined motivation was negatively associated with psychological distress. At higher levels of social identification, self-determined motivation was positively associated with wellbeing. At lower levels of social identification, there was no relationship between self-determined motivation and psychological distress or wellbeing. The mental health benefits associated with participation in organized sports may systematically vary according to levels of social identification, with the association magnified among those with higher levels of social identification. Attention to social identification processes in youth sport may be beneficial, and this should be tested using experimental designs. Lay Summary: Self-determined forms of motivation are associated with better mental health outcomes among adolescent male sport participants. These outcomes may be magnified when sport participants strongly identify with their sports teams. Practical implications Self-determined forms of motivation may be the first focus for coaches and sport psychology practitioners. Where self-determination is high, enhancing social identification among sport participants could provide extra benefits for mental health.

Use pattern-centered methods to examine how adolescents' alcohol use and sports activities are related both to childhood sport and problem behavior and to heavy drinking in early adulthood. The data used in this study come from four waves of the Michigan Study of Adolescent Life Transitions (MSALT) that began in 1983, when participants were approximately age 12, and continued into early adulthood, when participants were approximately age 28. Sixty per cent of the approximately 1000 MSALT youth living in south-eastern Michigan were females and 97% were European American. Approximately 28% of one or both parents held at least a college degree, and 45% held a high school diploma or lower. Pattern-centered analyses revealed that the relation between adolescent sport activity and age 28 heavy alcohol use obtained primarily for sport participants who were also using more than the average amount of alcohol and other drugs at age 18. Similarly, children who were characterized by relatively high levels of sport participation, aggression and other problem behavior at age 12 were more likely than expected by chance to become sport participants who used more than the average amount of alcohol and other drugs at age 18. The results indicate that childhood problem behavior and adolescent sport participation can, but do not necessarily, presage heavy drinking in adulthood and that pattern-centered analytical techniques are useful for revealing such theoretically generated predictions.

BackgroundBenefits of physical activity has been shown for adolescents; however, there is a decline trend in number of adolescents meeting current WHO recommendations. This trend underlines the importance of identifying factors associated with adolescents’ physical activity level (PAL) with considerations of regional and cultural differences to plan and implement effective policies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine personal, ecological, and social factors associated with PAL and sport participation in Turkish adolescents aged 11–14 years. A cross-sectional study was conducted by including 996 adolescents aged between 11 and 14 years from 39 secondary schools in İstanbul, Turkey. Logistic regression analyses performed to identify the significant personal (age, gender, sleep time, screen time, BMIz score, having siblings), ecological (presence of playground, type of school transportation), and social (family income, engaging a physical activity with family, and preferred activity at school breaks) predictors of PAL and sport participation.ResultsAdolescents who were active during break time at school (p < 0.001), engaging a physical activity with family (p < 0.001), and did not have a sibling (p = 0.029) were more likely to be physically active. Adolescents behaved active during break time at school (p < 0.001), had a playground at home (p < 0.001), spending time with family for physical activity (p < 0.001), and did not have a sibling (p = 0.021) were more likely to participate in a sport activity.ConclusionsPredictors of PAL in this study indicates the need to promote active break time in school, increased physical activity time with family, and to design environmental policies to increase number of playgrounds.

Longitudinal associations between team sport participation and substance use in adolescents and young adults

Adolescence is a critical period filled with life changes. Early implementation of effective health promotion strategies could help alleviate the morbidity and mortality associated with inactivity. This study investigated whether adolescent participation in exercise and sport is associated with device-assessed physical activity (PA) levels in midlife. A total of 2984 participants (41.2% male) from the 1970 British Cohort Study were included. Participants were surveyed at age 16years on 5 indicators of exercise and sport participation. Total daily PA and moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) at age 46years were measured using a thigh-worn accelerometer, worn for 7days. Associations between each adolescent exercise or sport indicator and adulthood total daily PA and MVPA were examined using linear regressions, adjusting for sex, wear time, body mass index, smoking, disability, malaise, alcohol consumption, social class, education, and self-rated health. In fully adjusted models, adolescents who reported exercising "much more" than others (8.6min/d; 95% confidence interval, -0.1 to 17.1), who played sports at the park/playground more than once a week (8.5 [3.0-14.0]min/d), and who exercised on the most recent Saturday (3.8 [0.7-6.9]min/d) had higher adult total PA levels than those who reported the lowest activity levels. There was no evidence of an association between greater sport and exercise participation at age 16 y and MVPA at age 46 y. There was no association between sports at school and either measure of adult PA. Active adolescents, particularly those who engaged in out-of-school exercise, had higher total daily PA levels, but not MVPA levels, in midlife. This highlights the potential of early PA interventions to improve PA levels in adulthood.

Who Plays and Who Doesn't? An Intersectional Examination of Disparities in Adolescent Sport and Physical Activity Lesson Participation

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of coach-created empowering and disempowering motivational climates in athlete engagement among adolescent athletes. A total of 88 female ( M age = 14.67, SD = 1.98) and 184 male ( M age = 14.57, SD = 1.94) adolescent athletes from various sports participated. Participants completed the Personal Information Form, the Athlete Engagement Questionnaire, and the Empowering and Disempowering Motivational Climate Questionnaire-Coach. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine whether motivational climates predicted athlete engagement. Results indicated that coach-created empowering motivational climate was the only significant predictor of confidence (β = 0.41, p &lt; .001), dedication (β = 0.45, p &lt; .001), vigor (β = 0.50, p &lt; .001), and enthusiasm (β = 0.46, p &lt; .001). Disempowering motivational climate did not significantly predict athlete engagement. Additionally, task-oriented climate, a subdimension of empowering climate, positively predicted confidence, dedication, and vigor (β = 0.32, p &lt; .001; β = 0.18, p &lt; .001; β = 0.23, p &lt; .001, respectively), while autonomy-supportive and socially supportive climates predicted only enthusiasm (β = 0.23, p &lt; .01; β = 0.18, p &lt; .05). These findings suggest that empowering motivational climates positively contributed to athlete engagement, a factor critical to continued sports participation in adolescence. Therefore, training programs for coaches working with youth should emphasize creating empowering environments to enhance engagement and foster long-term involvement in sports.