Does Participating in Sports Help Reduce the Levels of Stress in College Students?

The negative impact mental health has had on student-athletes is a continuous problem across the globe and has been a topic of interest in the research world for many years. The stigma behind mental health have lead to symptoms of depression and anxiety, reluctance to seek help, the sense of helplessness and loneliness and many more. In a student-athlete, these stress levels are brought upon the individual for multiple reasons. For example, student-athletes have to accomplish a certain degree of success both on the playing field and in the classroom (A.P. , Deitrick, J.M. , & Reynolds, E. (2016). Maintaining a required average and playing time can become not only physically but mentally exhausting. This literature review will discuss the barriers and facilitators to mental health in student-athletes and how the stigmatization of those student-athletes who suffer from a mental illness have an impact on their everyday life.

Depressive persons tend to have a lower amount of physical activity because of their lack of motivation. Depression is found in a variety of people, but is especially prevalent among adolescents .But these findings would support us to conclude that physical fitness is therapeutic psychologically and physiologically in treating depression. Prescribing an appropriate regiment of exercise is shown in this study to decrease symptoms of depression in adolescent females.

Playing sports is a great way to help with mental health. When students don't have the option of playing sports it can lead to, “...too much screen time and not enough hands on activity,” (“Play is Important”). Many studies have recently exhibited citing the risk of excessive screen time for developing brains, everything from socialization, concentration, speech and writing skills can all be studied. The US Department of Health and Human Services estimates that children in America spend a gargantuan amount of time looking at electronic devices, approximately seven hours a day. If sports were no longer available for children to participate in, the average amount of hours spent on electronics would be increased. Other statistics reveal that kids the age of two regularly play iPad games and have toys in their bedroom that involve touch screens. Getting out the house is a good way to stay healthy and “...Exercise can help reduce depression and anxiety,”(Carson Barrett, “How Does Playing Sports Affect Your Health?”). For many kids in middle school, the need to have perfect grades causes many of them to have anxiety. Many families have younger children that have to deal with deaths and having to deal with a loss can be a main trigger to depression. If those kids were taken away from the opportunity to play sports, the anxiety and depression would most likely increase. Sleep is a big factor of mental health; and being active by participating in sports can increase the amount of sleep children get. Sports “...do this by helping you fall asleep faster and deepening your sleep,”(Kathryn Watson, “The Top 7 Mental Benefits of Sports”). When children come home from a sport, most of the time, their exhausted which would lead to a more reparative sleep, allowing the brain and muscles to rehabilitate more thoroughly. Getting a good amount of sleep can improve your mental outlook and mood the

Playing sports allow athletes to exercise their most violent ideas in a way that people will look at as being normal. It is also a more interactive way than to simply sit down and watch a movie. When we play sports we physically act out or most violent thoughts out and as a result we let out an immense amount of emotions. We can, therefore, conclude that it is a more productive way of coping with emotions than watching a

Depression is a serious illness that has been tracked through human emotion since the 1890’s. Matt Anderson has been playing on the USA men’s volleyball team since 2008. Just a few years ago, in the middle of his career, Anderson took a break from volleyball to focus on himself. In an interview with NBC Sports, Anderson stated that he developed his depression due to the “homesickness” (Zaccardi), not

College athletics and the athletes themselves have become a focus for researchers to conduct studies observing health behaviors. Health behavior studies from these athletes range from alcohol abuse, anxiety, eating disorders, and lack of sleep. As a collegiate athlete commitment to athletics and academics is very important, but may also be a dwelling situation. Dr. Shelley Armstrong and Dr. Jody Oomen-Early, authors of, Social Connectedness, Self-Esteem, and Depression Symptomatology Among Collegiate Athletes Versus Nonathletes, compared collegiate athletes and nonathletes in search for any significant differences in social connectedness, self-esteem, and depression (Armstrong & Oomen-Early 2009).

For many athletes, all they think about is the next competition, the next practice, their next workout, but what many of them do not think about is the reality of needing to end their competition career. This stage of an athlete’s life may be a difficult one, and on average 1 in 6 retired elite athletes’ mental health is negatively impacted (Wippert & Wippert, 2008) (Wylleman, De Knop, Menkehorst, Theeboom, & Annerel, 1993). These issues may lead recently retired athletes to alcohol and substance abuse, depression, eating disorders, or even attempted suicide. The following will outline how elite athletes are affected psychologically when they retire from competition, and how athletes can prepare and work their way through this difficult transition.

Collegiate athletes are one level lower than professional. Many of these collegiate athletes have to balance academia and their sport they are participating in. Usually, they will go through a full loaded day during the season. Including, practice in the morning, classes throughout the afternoon and a final practice during the evening. Therefore, these athletes have to continue to be on top of their game at all times, physically and mentally. However, athletes may not always be one hundred percent holistically health. One major concern is the increased risk and diagnosis of clinical depression. This may be due to the fact that there are not enough resources available for the athlete when troubled with clinical depression or the build up of

For decades schools have had many debates on whether or not sports should be involved in a student's learning experience. In previous studies, scholars found that more students have succeeded academically without athletics. Therefore, school sports should not be permitted so students can increase success in school, work, prevent any additional school cutbacks, and to eliminate sport related injuries.

In fact, studies show that “25.1% of students who reported exercising on 6 to 7 days per week felt sad for 2 weeks or more in the past 12 months, compared to 35.7% of students who reported exercising on 0 to 1 day.” (Singal, 2015). This quote says that the more the students exercised, the less they felt sad. Competitive sports provide plenty of exercise for kids, so that means kids who play competitive sports will be pretty happy. Also, another study found that “students who exercised on 6 to 7 days in the past week, 15.9% reported suicidal ideation, and 6.4% reported suicide attempt in the past 12 months, compared to 24.6% and 10.3% of students who exercised on 0 to 1 day, respectively.” (Singal, 2015). This means that kids are thinking more about suicide when they do not exercise, and thinking less about suicide when they exercise. Again, competitive sports provide lots of exercise, so those who enroll will not be feeling sad or even thinking about suicide.

Physical activity is an important public health tool used in the treatment and prevention of various physical diseases, as well as in the treatment of some psychiatric diseases such as depression and anxiety disorders. I would propose using a correlation method of research. Correlation is a measure of the relationship of two variables (Comer, 2014, p.22).There are three possible results of a correlational study: a positive correlation, a negative correlation, and unrelated. The correlation coefficient is a measure of correlation strength and can range from –1.00 to +1.00(Comer, 2014, p.22).

Playing football helps with one’s depression by giving one something else to think about other than the thing that is depressing them. Also engaging in physical activities simulates the production of

Although many people consider sports a getaway from work, it does have countless good health factors. Team sports help boost self-confidence, which can lead to a skill and strength increase. Mentally, self-confidence also can increase self-esteem and self-image. Depression and stress are also avoided in team sports, as the mind is distracted when physically active. In team sports, self- perception and maintaining a healthy weight is also helpful for a good health psychologically. The people enrolled in sports have psychologically differences compared to the people who

The participants were divided into appropriate groups according to their diagnosis, gender, and the number of sports they participated in. This was indicated on the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) where they chose between 0-2 sports or 3 or more sports. They believed a child who participates in 3 or more sports is playing a sport year round. Kiluk, Weden, and Culotta’s study concluded that there is a relationship between physical activity and mood or anxiety

It has been known a proven fact that participation in high school sports encourages better moods, self-esteem,