Team sports are much more than something to do while growing up. Participation alone could lower the likeliness of children having mental health issues, according to a study from California State University. Researchers analyzed 11,235 children and adolescents between the ages of 9 and 13, in the United States, and found that football, basketball, volleyball and other team sports can be very beneficial.

“Specifically, children and adolescents who played team sports were less likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression, social problems, thought problems, attentional problems, and rule-breaking behavior (among females only),” the study reads. But when it comes to individual sports, like golf, tennis and gymnastics, there is a major difference.

“Children and adolescents who participated in individual sports had greater levels of mental health difficulties across several syndromes compared to those who did not participate in organized sports,” the study reads. In general, the results suggest that the sport in question — whether it be a team or individual sport — could be an important factor in the correlation between sport participation and mental health.

(Dominic Genetti. https://thetelegraph.com, 07.06.2022. Adaptado.)

No trecho do terceiro parágrafo “compared to those who did not participate”, o termo sublinhado refere-se a