High School Sports Research Articles

High School Brain Health: How sports and music can form a more brain-healthy student experience.

This paper investigates the link between adolescent mental health and involvement in sports and music. With a focus on preventive measures, it introduces the concept of brain health, a holistic framework intersecting cognitive development and mental health. The paper explores the roles of music and sports in enhancing high school students' brain health. Music, encompassing instrument training, therapy, and listening, proves beneficial cognitively and clinically. However, accessibility challenges, particularly for lower-income students, underscore the need for affordable education and increased support for music therapy. Parallel insights into sports highlight cognitive and mental health benefits but underscore information barriers hindering student participation. The paper proposes practical solutions, including beginner music courses, affordable instrument access, increased support for music therapy, increased access to non-competitive sports, and improved communication regarding high school sports and music. The research urges a change, recognizing brain health as integral to holistic well-being, and calls for actionable integration of music and sports into high school environments for lasting positive impact.

Mental Health in Elite Athletes: A Systematic Review of Suicidal Behaviour as Compared to the General Population.

Previous systematic reviews on mental health in athletes have found athletes to be at a potentially increased risk for mental health diagnoses compared to the public. Multiple cross-sectional studies have examined suicide behaviour within different athlete populations, but there is a need for a comprehensive review to synthesize and identify risk factors and epidemiology regarding suicide behaviour in the elite athlete population, especially as it compares to the general population. A systematic literature search was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science from 1990 to January 2023. Inclusion criteria included original peer-reviewed research articles examining suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, or suicide completion within elite athlete populations. Exclusion criteria included athletes participating in high-school or Paralympic level sports, studies that did not report results regarding elite athletes and non-athletes separately, and non-peer reviewed work. All studies were screened for inclusion by two independent reviewers. The primary outcome variables extracted from included studies included rates, risk factors, and protective factors for suicide behaviour. The study quality and risk of bias was evaluated for each study using the Joanna-Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools. Of the 875 unique studies identified, 22 studies, all of which were cross-sectional in nature, met the inclusion criteria. Seven studies evaluated previous athletes, 13 studies evaluated current athletes, and two studies included a combination of previous and current athletes. Seven studies involved varsity college athletes, nine involved professional athletes of various sports, and six focused on international or Olympic level athletes. The rate of suicidal ideation in professional athletes ranged from 6.9 to 18% across four studies, while the rate in collegiate athletes ranged from 3.7 to 6.5% across three studies. Ten studies compared athletes to the general population, the majority of which found athletes to be at reduced risk of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and suicide completion. Only one study found athletes to have increased rates of suicide compared to matched non-athletes. Risk factors for suicide behaviour identified across multiple studies included male sex, non-white race, older age, and depression. Player position, athletic level, sport played, and injuries showed trends of having limited effect on suicide behaviour risk. This review suggests that elite athletes generally demonstrate reduced risk of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and suicide completion compared to the general population. Coaches should remain aware of specific factors, such as male sex, non-white race, and higher athletic level, in order to better identify at-risk athletes. Limitations of this review include the heterogeneity in the methodology and athlete populations across the included studies. Therefore, future targeted research is essential to compare suicide behaviour between sports and identify sport-specific suicide risk factors. PROSPERO Registration: CRD42023395990.

Inequalities in Girls’ High School Sports Participation: How Social Class, Race/Ethnicity, and Gender Route Opportunities to Play and Persist in Athletics

ABSTRACT High school athletics are understudied sites for social and educational stratification. Participation can offer mental and physical health benefits, improved student retention and graduation rates, the encouragement of pro-social behaviors, resume building, and enhanced social statuses. Despite legal prohibitions against race and gender discrimination in schools, opportunities to play and persist in interscholastic athletics may reflect and amplify existing social and educational stratification processes. Using an exploratory sequential mixed-methods research design, this study centers on girls’ high school sports and considers how gender, race/ethnicity, and social class operate at the individual, interactional, cultural, and institutional levels and encourage proclivities, commitments, and support for participation. We combine qualitative (N = 28 women and 47 total college athletes) and quantitative (N = 4,271 high school students) studies to inquire about how, and to what extent, racial/ethnic and social-class dynamics affect girls playing any and specific high school sports and whether they play persistently. Findings suggest that schools co-construct unequal athletic opportunity structures by nurturing and rewarding a cultivated athletic habitus associated with masculinity, whiteness, and affluent dispositions. These processes disguise athletic advantages and successes as well-earned merit and restrict who is most likely to receive the individual and social benefits of high school sports participation.

Opioids and Youth Athletes.

The ongoing opioid epidemic and associated adverse effects impart a large burden on our current healthcare system. The annual economic and noneconomic cost of opioid use disorder and fatal opioid overdose is currently estimated at $1 trillion. This review presents the prevalence, frequency of use, need, and effectiveness of opioid analgesia in the youth and adolescent athlete population. It identifies current indications for opioid versus nonopioid analgesic use in the setting of acute orthopaedic injuries, postoperative management, concussion, and chronic pain. Current knowledge of youth athlete opioid use, risks related to use, misuse, diversion, and addiction are reviewed. A PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane Library search was conducted in February 2023 to review opioid pain management strategies in the pediatric athlete population from 2000 to present. Searches were restricted to English language articles and human subjects. Initial reviews of titles and abstracts were performed by all authors and relevant full-text articles were selected. Priority was given to systematic and narrative reviews, meta-analyses, and prospective studies. Narrative review. Level 3. First author name, publication year, study design, study country, subject demographics, and data on the frequency, type, and duration of analgesic treatments for musculoskeletal injuries, postsurgical care, chronic pain disorders, and concussion were extracted. Pediatric athletes comprise a high-risk population seeking analgesic relief for injury-related pain. Participation in high school sports is associated with increased risk of opioid use. An average of 28% to 46% of high school athletes have used opioids in their lifetime. Participation in ≥1 high school sport puts adolescents at 30% greater odds of future opioid misuse. The use of opioids in the pediatric athlete population is common and associated with both short- and long-term risks of misuse and addiction.

Incidence and Risk Factors for Bone Stress Injuries in United States Air Force Special Warfare Trainees.

To determine (1) the incidence rate of lower extremity (LE) bone stress injuries (BSIs) in United States Air Force Special Warfare (AFSPECWAR) trainees during the first 120 days of training, and (2) factors associated with sustaining a LE BSI. Retrospective cohort study. AFSPECWAR Airmen (n = 2,290, mean age = 23.7 ± 3.6 years) entering an intensive 8-week preparatory course "SW-Prep" between October 2017 and May 2021. We compared anthropometric measurements, previous musculoskeletal injury (MSKI), fitness measures, and prior high-impact sports participation in those that did and did not suffer a BSI during the 120-day observation period using independent t-tests and chi-square tests. A multivariable binary logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with suffering a BSI. A total of 124 AFSPECWAR trainees suffered a BSI during the surveillance period, yielding an incidence proportion of 5.41% and an incidence rate of 1.4 BSIs per 100 person-months. The multivariate logistic regression revealed that lower 2-minute sit-up scores, no prior history of participation in a high-impact high-school sport, and a history of prior LE MSKI were associated with suffering a BSI. A receiver operator characteristic curve analysis yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.727. BSI incidence proportion for our sample was similar to those seen in other military settings. Military trainees without a history of high-impact sports participation who achieve lower scores on sit-ups tests and have a history of LE MSKI have a higher risk for developing a LE BSI during the first 120 days of AFSPECWAR training.

Epidemiology of Concussive Injuries in Collegiate Recreational Athletes

Concussion rates are commonly reported in high school and National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) sports. Given that participation in collegiate recreation is on the rise, institutions should examine concussion rates within their recreational programs. We, therefore, retrospectively examined a recreational department's injury reports establishing concussion rates across ( n = 16) club and ( n = 10) intramural sports at a public university in the southeastern United States from 2016 to 2019. One hundred and thirty-five concussions (club n = 56; intramural n = 79) were identified and constituted 12.4% of documented injuries ( n = 1,088). The intramural concussion rate was 0.57 per 1,000 athletic exposures (AEs) and AE was greatest in outdoor soccer (0.99 per 1,000 AE). Therefore, our data suggests an increased incidence of concussions in intramurals compared to published rates in NCAA and high school sports. Collegiate recreational departments should consider these concussion rates when formulating risk management strategies.

127. Mental Health in the High School Sport Context: A Qualitative Interview Study of Athletes and Coaches

127. Mental Health in the High School Sport Context: A Qualitative Interview Study of Athletes and Coaches

Longitudinal changes in resting state fMRI brain self-similarity of asymptomatic high school American football athletes

American football has become the focus of numerous studies highlighting a growing concern that cumulative exposure to repetitive, sports-related head acceleration events (HAEs) may have negative consequences for brain health, even in the absence of a diagnosed concussion. In this longitudinal study, brain functional connectivity was analyzed in a cohort of high school American football athletes over a single play season and compared against participants in non-collision high school sports. Football athletes underwent four resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging sessions: once before (pre-season), twice during (in-season), and once 34–80 days after the contact activities play season ended (post-season). For each imaging session, functional connectomes (FCs) were computed for each athlete and compared across sessions using a metric reflecting the (self) similarity between two FCs. HAEs were monitored during all practices and games throughout the season using head-mounted sensors. Relative to the pre-season scan session, football athletes exhibited decreased FC self-similarity at the later in-season session, with apparent recovery of self-similarity by the time of the post-season session. In addition, both within and post-season self-similarity was correlated with cumulative exposure to head acceleration events. These results suggest that repetitive exposure to HAEs produces alterations in functional brain connectivity and highlight the necessity of collision-free recovery periods for football athletes.

AN EXAMINATION OF POLICIES REGULATING THE PARTICIPATION OF TRANSGENDER LEARNERS IN SOUTH AFRICAN HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

South African high schools typically adopt a sex-segregated approach to sports teams and, therefore, have “boys” sports teams and “girls” sports teams. This approach is complicated by the increasing number of high school learners who identify openly as transgender. Transgender learners experience the sports policies that South African high schools choose to adopt as falling into one of three broad categories. These categories are: the restrictive approach, the partially inclusive approach and the fully inclusive approach. These approaches vary in terms of what steps they require trans learners to take in order to participate in sports teams that are consistent with their gender identity. School policies must be consistent with the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (PEPUDA) in order to be legally compliant. It is argued that the restrictive approach is inconsistent with PEPUDA, and, therefore, unlawful, as no legitimate purpose underlies it. As legitimate reasons exist for the implementation of partially and fully inclusive policies, it is argued that they are lawful. As both such policies are lawful, policymakers will have a choice regarding which set of policies to adopt. When making this choice, a school must consider which values it seeks to promote. On the one hand, there is the imperative to acknowledge the well-being and dignity of trans learners while, on the other hand, there are legitimate concerns about the fairness of competition. As dignity is both a right that is granted to everyone by the Constitution, and one of its founding values, it is argued that fully inclusive policies should be favoured as they result in the validation of trans learners’ dignity. Furthermore, it is argued that high school sports should serve broader educational goals, such as teaching high school learners that their trans peers deserve the chance to live their truth in full.

A Qualitative Exploration of Coaches’ Perceived Challenges and Recommendations Relating to Social Justice in Canadian High School Sport

Sport can at once promote social justice and reinforce systemic inequities. Considering the influence coaches have on athlete development, research related to coaches’ perspectives on social justice issues is warranted. The purpose of the study was to explore Canadian high school sport coaches’ attitudes towards social justice. An online survey saw 392 coaches respond to six open-ended questions on perceived challenges (three questions; n = 989 responses) and recommendations (three questions; n = 724 responses) related to social justice within their teams, schools, and school boards. A content analysis led to coaches’ responses being classified into three groups: (a) high school sport faces social justice issues (57.38%), (b) no social justice challenges and/or recommendations to share (39.34%), and (c) urgency regarding social justice issues is overblown (3.28%). A reflexive thematic analysis, guided by the critical positive youth development framework, was used to develop several overarching themes, highlighting persistent inequities, a lack of involvement from school boards, missed/ignored social justice issues, and a small group of antisocial justice coaches within the Canadian high school sport system. Considerations for coach education programmes and future research are discussed.

Effects of the Women's National Basketball Association on High School Sports and College Enrollment

Effects of the Women's National Basketball Association on High School Sports and College Enrollment

Examining the Relationship Between Perceived Coaching Approaches for Life Skills Development and Life Skills Outcomes for High School Athletes

Promoting life skills is a prominent focus of the mission of high school sports. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived coaching approaches for life skills development and life skills outcomes for high school athletes. A total of 346 athletes participating in high school sports from the United States completed the athlete-reported version of the Coaching Life Skills in Sport Questionnaire (perceived implicit and explicit coaching approaches) and the Life Skills Scale for Sport. Findings from hierarchical and stepwise regression models revealed that perceived implicit and explicit levels of coaching were differentially associated with each of the eight life skills outcomes, with the most consistent and significant predictor of life skills outcomes being structuring and facilitating a positive climate. Findings are discussed in relation to the conceptual and practical utility of the implicit–explicit continuum of life skills development and transfer, the importance of coach and athlete awareness of coaching approaches for life skills development, and recognition of the strengths and limitations of a variety of ontological and epistemological approaches to studying life skills in sport.

Impact Deceleration Differences on Natural Grass Versus Synthetic Turf High School Football Fields

American football has the highest rate of concussions in United States high school sports. Within American football, impact against the playing surface is the second-most common mechanism of injury. The objective of this study was to determine if there is a difference in impact deceleration between natural grass and synthetic turf high school football fields. A Century Body Opponent Bag (BOB) manikin was equipped with a Riddell football helmet and 3 accelerometers were placed on the forehead, apex of the head, and right ear. The manikin was dropped from a stationary position onto its front, back, and left side onto natural grass (n = 10) and synthetic turf (n = 9) outdoor football fields owned and maintained by public and private institutions on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. Data was collected on 1,710 total drops. All accelerometers in forward and backward falls, and 1 accelerometer in side falls showed significantly greater impact deceleration on synthetic turf compared to the natural grass surfaces (P < .05). The results of this study provide evidence-based rationale to inform youth sports policies, particularly those aimed at injury prevention through safer playing environments and equipment.

Research on the Value of High School Sports Clubs to Campus Athletic Spirit

Research on the Value of High School Sports Clubs to Campus Athletic Spirit

Investigation of the Relationship between Character Structures and Mental Toughness of High School and University Students Doing Fencing Sports

The aim of the research is to examine the relationship between character structures and mental toughness of high school and university students doing fencing sports. Survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, has been used in the study. The sample of the research consisted of 286 active licensed fencing athletes who have competing in the classifications of the Turkish Fencing Federation and studying at high schools and university. As a data collection tool in the study Personal Information Form, Sport Character Scale (SCS) Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ) has been used. In the data analysis, independent group t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, Tukey HSD multiple comparison test, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient test have been applied.
 As a result of the research; average of sports character scores of high school and university athletes; gender, age, education level, branch and nationality status variables have found to be significantly different. It has been specified that there wasn’t significant difference in the fencing experience period variable. Mental toughness score averages in sports; gender, age, education level, branch, fencing experience period, nationality status have found to be significantly different. It has been determined that there is a low and moderate positive and significant relationship in some sub-dimensions of the Sports Character Scale and Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire.

Investigation of the Relationship Between High School Students' Level of Participation in Recreation Activities and Their Time Management

This study aimed to examine the relationship between recreation participation levels and time management of high school students studying in different high schools. In the study, the relational screening model was used as part of the survey model. The data collection tool of the study consisted of three parts: personal information form, "Recreation Participation Scale" developed by Procidano and Heller (1983) and adapted into Turkish by Sevil (2015) and "Time Management Scale" developed by Britton and Tesser (1991) and translated into Turkish by Alay and Koçak (2002). The study group consisted of students of Incirliova Sports High School, Nazilli Science High School, Bozdoğan İsmet Sezgin Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School and Bozdoğan Anatolian High School in Aydın province in the 2022-2023 academic. Statistically, frequency analysis, reliability coefficient calculations, Pearson correlation analysis and Manova analysis were performed. The analyses were performed by adhering to a 95% confidence interval. A statistically significant difference was detected between the participants' recreational activity and gender, grade and doing sport variables, the cognitive activity sub-dimension and gender variable, the mean score of recreation participation and doing sport variable, and the time management of the participants and gender, high school type, income and doing sport variables (p<0.05). As a result, high school students have moderate levels of participation in recreational activities and time management. Participation of the high school students in recreational activities also decreased as their time management levels increased.

Investigating The Effect Of Coronavirus Anxieties Of The Students Attending Sports High School On Distance Education

ABSTRACT In this study, it has been aimed to investigate the effect of Covid-19 anxieties of the students attending sports high schools on their physical activity levels. The Athletes' Anxiety of Catching New Type Coronavirus (Covid-19) Scale (SYTKYKÖ) consisting of 16 items whose validity and reliability studies were conducted by Demir et al. in 2020 and the Opinions Regarding Distance Education Scale created by Yıldırım et al. (2014) consisting of 18 items was used as a data collection tool. The research group consists of a total of 376 participants, 192 women and 184 men, who receive education in the sports high schools of Hatay, Adana, Kahramanmaraş (Eastern Mediterranean) Region in the 2021-2022 academic year. Data were delivered from voluntary participants in the research via Google Forms. As a result of the reliability analysis of the scales; Cronbach's Alpha value of coronavirus anxiety scale in athletes was found to be 92; Cronbach's Alpha value of the opinions on distance education scale was found to be 83. As a result of the analysis, it is seen that the individual anxiety dimension has a statistically significant and negative effect on effectiveness and didacticism in distance education. It is seen that the social anxiety dimension has a statistically significant and positive effect on personal, effectiveness and instructiveness in distance education. As a result, it appears that Covid 19 anxiety has a significant impact on distance education.

Investigation of the Leadership Characteristics of Sports High School Students: Istanbul Case

Amaç: Araştırmanın amacı spor lisesi öğrencilerinin liderlik özelliklerinin bazı değişkenlere göre incelenmesidir.
 Gereç ve Yöntem: Araştırmaya İstanbul ilinde spor liselerinde öğrenim gören 547 öğrenci katılmıştır. Araştırmada veri toplama aracı olarak kişisel bilgi formu ve Liderlik Yönelim Ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Katılımcılardan elde edilen verilerin analizinde α=0.05 anlamlılık düzeyinde Bağımsız Gruplarda T-Testi ve ANOVA, gruplar arası farklılığı belirlemek için ise Post-hoc analizinde Tukey HSD yöntemi tercih edilmiştir.
 Bulgular: Araştırmada spor lisesi öğrencilerinin liderlik özellikleri alt boyutlarında baba eğitim seviyesi, spor yapma süreleri ve sınıf seviyesi değişkenlerinde anlamlı fark tespit edilmemiştir (p>0,05). Spor lisesi öğrencilerinin liderlik özellikleri alt boyutları cinsiyet, spor türü, anne eğitim seviyesi ve aile gelir seviyesi değişkenlerinde anlamlı fark tespit edildi (p

Examination of Sports High School Students' Attitudes Towards Coaching Profession

Bu çalışmanın amacı spor lisesi öğrencilerinin antrenörlük mesleğine yönelik tutumlarının farklı değişkenliklere göre incelenmesidir. Spor sektöründe yaşanan istihdam sorunu ve ortaöğretim çağında spor lisesi okuyan öğrencilerin ilerleyen dönemlerde antrenörlük mesleğine bakış açılarını öğrenmek ve bu tarz çalışmalar ile spor sektörüne katkı sağlamak her geçen gün önemini daha da arttırmaktadır. Araştırmada Turğut, Sural ve Kan (2018) tarafından geliştirilen, ‘‘Lise Öğrencilerinin Antrenörlük Mesleğine Yönelik Tutum Ölçeği” kullanılmıştır. Araştırma grubunu Düzce Spor Lisesi’nde 2022-2023 Eğitim-Öğretim yılının 2. kanaat döneminde eğitim gören 47 kadın 72 erkek toplam 119 öğrenci oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada nicel yöntem olan tarama yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Analizler SPSS (26.00) paket programı kullanılarak yapılmıştır. Yapılan analiz sonucuna göre spor lisesi öğrencilerinin sırasıyla cinsiyet, yaş, sınıf, aktif spor yapma süresi, haftalık antrenman yapma süresi ve milli sporcu olma durumu gibi değişkenler açısından anlamlı farklılık bulunamamıştır. Farklılık bulunamamasının sebebinin öğrencilerin büyük çoğunluğunun sporcu olması ve spor lisesinde okuması dolayısıyla sporun içinde olmasından kaynaklı olduğu düşünülmektedir.

Youth Preseason Performance on the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 Across Multiple Sports.

To examine preseason Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 (SCAT5) performance of adolescent sport participants by environment (in-person/virtual), sex, age, concussion history, collision/noncollision sport participation, and self-reported medical diagnoses. Cross-sectional. Canadian community and high-school sport settings. Three thousand eight hundred five adolescent (2493 male, 1275 female, and 37 did not disclose; 11- to 19-year-old) sport participants. Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 administration method (in-person/virtual), sex (male/female/unreported), age (years), concussion history (0/1/2/3+), collision/noncollision sport participant, and self-reported medical diagnoses [attention deficit disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, headache/migraine, learning disability, and psychiatric disorder (ie, anxiety/depression/other)]. Preseason SCAT5 outcomes including total number of symptoms (TNS; /22), symptom severity score (SSS; /132), Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC; /50), and modified Balance Error Scoring System (mBESS; /30). Multiple multilevel linear or Poisson regression complete case analyses adjusting for clustering and robust standard errors, with β-coefficients (95% CI) back-transformed to indicate an increase/decrease in SCAT5 subdomains when relevant for clinical interpretation. Virtual (V) performance was associated with fewer symptoms reported [TNS Difference V-IP = -1.53 (95% CI, -2.22 to -0.85)], lower SSS [-2.49 (95% CI, -4.41 to -0.58)], and fewer mBESS errors (IP) [-0.52 (95% CI, -0.77 to -0.27)] compared with in-person. For every one-year increase in age, more symptoms [TNS = 0.22 (95% CI, 0.01-0.44)], higher SSS [0.52 (95% CI, 0.01-1.06)], higher SAC [0.27 (95% CI, 0.15-0.38), and poorer balance [mBESS = -0.19 (-0.28 to -0.09)] were observed. Differences between males and females were also seen across all SCAT5 outcomes. Individuals reporting any medical diagnosis or 3+ concussion history also reported more symptoms (TNS) and higher SSS than those who did not. Administration environment, sex, age, concussion history, and medical diagnoses were associated with SCAT5 subdomains and are important considerations when interpreting the SCAT5 results.