ABSTRACT
The worldwide appeal of sports-whether soccer, the NFL, tennis, street basketball, skiing, pickup stickball, curling, etc.-has never been clearer since the interruption of sports during the COVID-19 pandemic. People were willing to make tremendous accommodations and endure heightened risk to play or watch sports. Across local communities, parents encourage their children to get involved in organized sports, and coaches see sports as a great vehicle for youth development or, at times, furthering their own prominence. For a variety of reasons, youth sport has become an arena for pressured performance, leading to or exacerbating mental health problems in child and adolescent "athletes." In this chapter, with coaches as our particular audience because of their critical role, we focus primarily on sport-related anxiety, depression, disordered eating, and substance misuse. We review the range of symptoms and experiences that fall under each of these categories and consider how they present in childhood and adolescence. We want coaches (and other caregivers) to confidently identify early signs of dysfunction, sensitively and competently broach the subject with all involved, and refer youth athletes to appropriate mental health services as needed, thereby serving as catalysts for mental health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Background: During the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, few studies have focused on sport samples. The aim of the study was to investigate the early psychological impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak among young swimmers. Subjects and methods: The sample comprised 429 swimmers (229 boys, 200 girls, mean age 13.88+/-1.71) from Turkey, with a mean competitive sport experience of 5.22 years. A personal information form was administered to collect data regarding demographics, sport-related experience, and home confinement effects, along with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Result(s): During the first 30 days of home confinement, the swimmers' general BAI scores were low, with only 10 percent showing moderate or severe anxiety levels. Girl swimmers had significantly higher anxiety levels than boys. Girl swimmers also reported positive and negative change in their relationship with their parents and expected closer help from their parents. The 14-15 year age group had significantly higher anxiety levels than the other age groups. The lack of pool training was associated with the swimmers' anxiety. Conclusion(s): Improving athlete-parent interaction and providing coping programs for adolescent athletes may help to reduce anxiety and other negative effects of home confinement during COVID-19. Copyright © 2021 Medicinska Naklada Zagreb. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
CONTEXT: Depression is among the most common mental health disorders in youth, results in significant impairment, and is associated with a higher risk of suicide. Screening is essential, but assessment tools may not account for the complex interrelatedness of various demographic factors, such as sex, socioeconomic status, and race. OBJECTIVES: To determine the (1) the factor structure of the Patient Health Questionnaire-Adolescent (PHQ-A) for measuring depression in a group of adolescent athletes and (2) measurement invariance between Black and White patients on the PHQ-A. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort design. SETTING: Data were obtained from a secure database collected at a free, comprehensive, mass preparticipation physical examination event hosted by a large health care system. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 683 high school athletes (Black = 416, White = 267). The independent variables were somatic and affective factors contributing to the construct of depression measured by the PHQ-A and participant race (Black or White). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): (1) Factors upon which the construct of depression is measured and (2) measurement invariance between Black and White participants. RESULTS: A 2-factor model, involving affective and somatic components, was specified and exhibited adequate fit to the data (comparative fit index >0.90). All items exhibited moderate to high squared multiple correlation values (R2 = 0.10-0.65), suggesting that these items resonated relatively well with participants. The 2-factor model demonstrated noninvariance between Black and White participants (root mean square error of approximation = 0.06-0.08). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the structure of the PHQ-A was supported by a 2-factor model in adolescent athletes, measuring both affective and somatic symptoms of depression. However, a 2-factor PHQ-A structure was not fully invariant for the adolescents sampled across participant groups, indicating that the model functioned differently between the Black and White participants sampled.
Subject(s)
Depression , Patient Health Questionnaire , Adolescent , Depression/diagnosis , Humans , Mass Screening , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , Retrospective Studies , Schools , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has significantly disrupted the routines of school sports for adolescent athletes, which can affect their usual eating behaviors and body image. Specific pressures of individual sports (which tend to emphasize "leanness" as a means to improving performance), versus team sports (which tend to not require "leanness" for an athlete to be competitive), may further increase the risk of disordered eating (DE), eating disorders (ED), and distorted body image. An additional factor to consider is the gender of the athletes, with participation in "lean" sports associated with increased DE and body dissatisfaction for male, but not female, athletes. METHODS: Participants of the study included 124 Iranian male adolescent athletes residing in Mazandaran province (one of the most affected areas of Iran during COVID-19), who played in 1 of 6 sports (3 individual, 3 team). ED symptoms were assessed by the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26), and body image was assessed by the Body-Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BESAA). RESULTS: The individual athlete group (n = 62) had significantly higher EAT-26 subscale scores for Bulimia and Food Preoccupation (p = 0.019), as well as significantly higher BESAA subscale scores for Appearance (p = 0.001), Weight (p = 0.001), and Attribution (p = 0.001), compared to the team athlete group (n = 62). However, there were no significant differences between the two athlete groups on the EAT-26 Dieting and Oral Control subscales. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 presents specialized issues for adolescent athletes, particularly those at risk for, or experiencing, DE, ED, and distorted body image. While individual athletes had significantly higher scores than team athletes on most subscales, there were no differences between groups on subscales of dieting and oral control. Overall, the findings highlight the need for sport psychologists, coaches, and other sports professionals working with male adolescent athletes (individual and team) to monitor DE, ED, and distorted body image during COVID-19, in order to provide early intervention, and mitigate the risk of long-term consequences. COVID-19 has significantly disrupted the routines of school sports for adolescent athletes, which can affect their usual eating behaviors and body image. Specific pressures of individual sports (which tend to emphasize "leanness" as a means to improving performance), versus team sports (which tend to not require "leanness" for an athlete to be competitive), may further increase the risk of disordered eating (DE), eating disorders (ED), and distorted body image. An additional factor to consider is the gender of the athletes, with participation in "lean" sports associated with increased DE and body dissatisfaction for male, but not female, athletes. Participants of the study included 124 Iranian male adolescent athletes in Mazandaran province (one of the most affected areas of Iran during COVID-19), who played in 1 of 6 sports (3 individual, 3 team). The individual athlete group (62 participants) had significantly higher scores on measures of ED (Bulimia, Food Preoccupation), and body image (Appearance, Weight, Attribution), versus the team athlete group (62 participants). However, there were no significant differences between groups on other measures of ED (Dieting, Oral Control). Findings highlight the need for sport professionals working with adolescent athletes to monitor DE and body image during COVID-19 for early intervention.
ABSTRACT
The worldwide appeal of sports-whether soccer, the NFL, tennis, street basketball, skiing, pickup stickball, curling, etc.-has never been clearer since the interruption of sports during the COVID-19 pandemic. People were willing to make tremendous accommodations and endure heightened risk to play or watch sports. Across local communities, parents encourage their children to get involved in organized sports, and coaches see sports as a great vehicle for youth development or, at times, furthering their own prominence. For a variety of reasons, youth sport has become an arena for pressured performance, leading to or exacerbating mental health problems in child and adolescent "athletes." In this chapter, with coaches as our particular audience because of their critical role, we focus primarily on sport-related anxiety, depression, disordered eating, and substance misuse. We review the range of symptoms and experiences that fall under each of these categories and consider how they present in childhood and adolescence. We want coaches (and other caregivers) to confidently identify early signs of dysfunction, sensitively and competently broach the subject with all involved, and refer youth athletes to appropriate mental health services as needed, thereby serving as catalysts for mental health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)