Date of Award
Spring 6-14-2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Joanna Buscemi, PhD
Second Advisor
Jocelyn Carter, PhD
Abstract
Abstract
The prevalence of depression in adolescents has increased in the last decade. Minority and low-income youth face additional barriers to accessing mental health services leading to a significant proportion of adolescents going undiagnosed and untreated. Participation in multiple team sports may offer an additive protective effect for youth mental health, yet how and for whom this relation occurs is unclear. The current study aimed to examine how coping strategies and friendships interact with team sports participation to reduce depressive symptoms in youth. Self-report data was collected from 196 urban youth across two time points. Moderated moderation analyses were conducted to assess the interactive effects of friendships and coping strategies on the relation between team sports participation and depressive symptoms. The results showed that at low levels of friendship, those who play multiple sports and endorse high levels of secondary (b = -2.90, p = .02) or disengagement coping (b = -3.00, p = .019), experience fewer depressive symptoms at Time 2. The findings further showed that at high levels of friendships, those who play multiple team sports and endorse high levels of secondary coping, experience more depressive symptoms at Time 2 (b = 5.03, p < .001). The results suggest friendships influence the functionality of coping strategies in reducing depressive symptoms in youth team sports players. The results further suggest that secondary and disengagement coping strategies function similarly in the presence of low levels of friendships to reduce depressive symptoms. The current study may inform future screening for depressive symptoms in young team sports players and support for team sports in urban areas.
Recommended Citation
Bushnell, Abigail K., "The Role of Team Sports, Coping, and Friendship in Reducing Depressive Symptoms in Youth" (2024). College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations. 529.
https://via.library.depaul.edu/csh_etd/529
SLP Collection
no