Front Sports Act Living. 2025 Apr 28;7:1527622. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1527622. eCollection 2025.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We examined if female adolescent athletes demonstrated changes on mental health measures 6-months after the end of a sport season compared to an immediate post-season assessment, and whether those who were actively playing sports 6-months after the end of the season reported different mental health ratings compared to athletes who were not.
METHODS: Participants underwent three assessments: a pre-season, immediate post-season, and final 6-month post-season assessment on measures of anxiety ratings, depressive symptoms, grit, peer relationships, fatigue, and body appreciation.
RESULTS: Participants reported significantly higher anxiety ratings at 6 months post-season compared to immediately post-season (6.6 ± 4.2 vs. 7.7 ± 4.5; p = 0.02), but no significant differences across time for other outcome measures. Those who were actively participating in sports at the 6-month follow-up reported significantly higher body appreciation ratings than those who were not (41.7 ± 5.9 vs. 37.1 ± 7.6; p = 0.01).
DISCUSSION: Our findings indicate active sports participation is associated with higher body appreciation among female athletes.
PMID:40357118 | PMC:PMC12066646 | DOI:10.3389/fspor.2025.1527622
