with depression, compared with 22% of peers who hadn’t played team sports, while about 12% received an anxiety diagnosis versus 17% of their peers.
Meanwhile, nearly 22% of those who’d played team sports during adolescence had current depressive symptoms, compared to 27.5% of peers who hadn’t played team sports.
Why the difference? Easterlin said team sports can increase self-esteem and help vulnerable adolescents feel socially accepted and connected to their school environment. All of these benefits can contribute to a sense of resilience, she added.
Amanda Paluch is a postdoctoral research fellow in the department of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. She said it’s “really striking” how far into the future team sports participation can affect mental health among children facing childhood trauma.
But it makes sense, she said, not only because team sports foster
