Years Participating in Sports During Childhood Predicts Mental Health in Adolescence: A 5-Year Longitudinal Study

Abstract Purpose Sport participation promotes mental health and prevents mental illness. However, the association between specific sport profiles and mental health has not been examined. We investigate the longitudinal association between number of years with a recreational or performance sport profile and mental health during adolescence and whether these associations differ by sex. Methods Participants (n = 318, 58.2% female) reported participation in sport every 4 months over 5 years, from ages 10–11 to 14–15 years. Each year, they were categorized as recreational or performance sport participants or as nonparticipants. Mental health was assessed at age 15–16 years. Multivariate linear regression was used to model the association between number of years (0–5) with a recreational and performance sport profile and mental health, controlling for sex, age, income, and age at puberty. Results A recreational sport profile for ≥2 years was associated with better mental health compared with 0 years of recreational sport participation; the strongest association was observed for a recreational sport profile of 4–5 years ( β ˆ [95% confidence interval]: 10.29 [2.60, 17.98]). A performance sport profile for ≥1 year was associated with better mental health in late adolescence compared with 0 years of performance sport participation; the strongest association was observed for a performance sport profile of 4–5 years ( β ˆ [95% confidence interval]: 19.48 [9.50, 29.46]). No differences by sex were observed. Conclusion Both recreational and performance sport profiles in childhood and early adolescence are positively associated with mental health in late adolescence. To promote mental health, strategies to encourage youth to engage and remain involved in sport are warranted.