Playing a sport is a great way for children to take a break from academics and release pent-up energy. Regular sports and exercise activities have been shown to benefit kids not just physically but also socially and psychologically, which makes their lives richer and happier. A study suggests that young boys who do sports tend to have better mental health when they reach middle childhood and be more active in early adolescence.

According to a recent study headed by psychoeducator Marie-Josée Harbec of Université de Montréal, boys who play sports as early as possible are less likely to have emotional distress in middle childhood, which is characterized by depressed and anxious symptoms.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioural Paediatrics, also reveals a link between early adolescent physical activity and boys’ emotional distress levels in middle childhood.

Reciprocal relationship between children’s participation in sports and depressive and anxiety symptoms

In the study, “we wanted to clarify the long-term and reciprocal relationship in school-aged children between participation in sports and depressive and anxiety symptoms,” said Harbec, who did the work as a doctoral student supervised by UdeM psychoeducation professor Linda Pagani.

“We also wanted to examine whether this relationship worked differently in boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 12,” said Harbec, who along with Pagani practices at CHU Ste-Justine Children’s Hospital.

Childhood physical inactivity and its implications for later mental and physical health

“There’s widespread evidence of a crisis these days in childhood physical inactivity, and this may ultimately have implications for later mental and physical health,” she added.

Harbec and Pagani looked at the children’s parents and kids’ reports of their participation in sports and physical exercise, as well as the symptoms of mental distress that the children’s teachers recorded from ages 6 to 10.

“We found that 5-year-old boys who never participated in sports were more likely between the ages of 6 and 10 to look unhappy and tired, had difficulty having fun, cried a lot, and appeared fearful or worried,” said Pagani, the study’s senior author.

“Also, boys who exhibited higher levels of depressive and anxious symptoms during middle childhood were subsequently less physically active at 12 years old. For girls, on the other hand, we did not find any significant changes.”

Working with scientists from the Children Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Harbec, and McGill University, Pagani analyzed data from a Quebec cohort of children born in 1997 and 1998 as part of the Institut de la statistique du Québec’s Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development.

The parents of 690 boys and 748 girls that they examined reported their level of physical activity each week at age 12 and their involvement in sports during the previous year at age 5, and their teachers evaluated the emotional distress symptoms that they saw in the classroom between the ages of 6 and 10. To find any meaningful association between physical activity and mental distress, the data were sorted by sex.

As per Harbec, numerous confounding variables were eliminated.

“Our goal was to eliminate any pre-existing conditions of the children or families that could throw a different light on our results, such as child temperament, parental education, or family income,” she said.

Girls and boys function differently

According to the researchers, boys who play sports in preschool could gain from physical activities that enhance the development of life qualities including initiative, teamwork, self-control, and supportive connections with peers adult coaches, and instructors.’

“Conversely, boys who experience symptoms of depression and anxiety might be more socially isolated and have a decreased level of energy and lower feelings of competence, which could in turn negatively influence engagement in physical activity,” said Pagani.

According to Harbec, the risks and protective factors for anxiety and depression are different for girls.

Girls are more likely than males to report emotional pain to and ask for help from friends, family, or medical professionals, and they are better protected psychologically by these social networks.

“Also, because more girls experience emotional distress than boys, this gender-related risk may have led to early identification and intervention for girls,” and so protect them from further damage, said Harbec.

Story Source:

Materials provided by the University of Montreal. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Marie-Josée Harbec, Gary Goldfield, Tracie A. Barnett, Linda S. Pagani. Physical Activity as Both Predictor and Outcome of Emotional Distress Trajectories in Middle Childhood. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 2021; Publish Ahead of Print DOI: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000001005

Page citation:

University of Montreal. “Play ball! (It’s good for you).” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 September 2021. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210927082242.htm>.

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