The family’s ability to play sports together has long been considered an important part of a healthy upbringing. According to an article in the Journal of Sports Economics, it’s also a protective factor against developing depression and other negative emotions like anxiety and despair.
A strong father-son relationship is often one of the major sources of joy and happiness, providing a healthy foundation for the child’s life. Playing sports together can have a similar effect, putting the two of them in close contact and creating a bond that can have long-lasting benefits.
Playing sports is one of the more direct ways a parent can act to keep his or her child active and healthy. One study in the Journal of Pediatrics concluded that 90% of youth who participated in sports reported that their sports experience helped them become closer to their parents.
Childhood depression and anxiety are well-known psychological problems in Western societies. It’s estimated that 10 to 15 percent of the adult population have experienced some form of depression at some point in their lives. It can be debilitating, and it’s a problem that begins during childhood and adolescence. Depression can be a symptom of bipolar disorder, and those suffering with it can experience both manic and depressive phases, with the symptoms showing up in various ways.
Bipolar disorder is also associated with substance abuse, and in a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Dr. Michael Zola and his team found that playing sports can serve as a preventative measure against this potentially life-threatening disorder.
The Healthy People 2010 report, released in February, estimated that 20% of the population has some form of mental illness or disability. The report suggested that factors such as poor parenting, abuse, and neglect may influence this figure, making it hard to pinpoint any one cause.
Childhood depression is commonly associated with the start of puberty, and the physical changes that come with it. These include, but are not limited to, physical changes in the body and increased self-awareness. The symptoms may include sleeping less, being angry and irritable, having poor appetite and appetite changes, skipping school, and making negative comments about oneself and one’s body. For more information visit here https://zumroad.com/sport
In this study, 21 adolescents diagnosed with either major depression or bipolar disorder were followed for seven years. The researchers found that those involved in sports during this time were less likely to develop depression or other mental illnesses.
The researchers checked the mental health of the subjects every three months, and found that while the numbers of some symptoms increased over the course of the study, the more active subjects were, the fewer the symptoms they had.