Social and Mental Wellbeing

The Role of Sport

Research supporting the benefits of sport participation on a positive mental outlook is clear. Sport can play a valuable role in building mental health and connecting people to community.

97% of Australians aged over 18 years believe that sport and physical activity are good for their health and wellbeing, and 88% agree that sport is important for bringing people together in their local communities.³

Sport, particularly organised and team-based sport, has been shown to provide strong mental and social benefits for people of all ages, beyond the benefits that come from just being physically active.^{4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10}

Participation in sport, both as a child and adult, can help build resilience and support mental wellbeing.^{13, 14}

Sport can lead to more time spent with others. One study calculated that for every hour spent doing sport, 48 minutes were spent with other people; every hour of non-sport exercise equalled 23 minutes spent with others.¹¹

The social benefits of sport infrastructure include facilitating social interactions and the benefits of providing ‘green space’ (e.g. sports fields), valued at AU$5.1 billion annually.¹²

Benefits of Sport for Specific Populations

Rates of poor mental health can be higher in specific populations, including younger Australians, ^{15, 16} Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, ¹⁷ people with disability, ¹⁸ and same-sex attracted and gender diverse (SSAGD) individuals. ¹⁶

The social and mental wellbeing benefits of playing sport have also been studied in some of these population groups, demonstrating that sport can have particularly strong outcomes for individuals from these communities, especially by promoting social inclusion and community engagement.

Children and young people

Young people who are members of local sporting clubs are more likely to: ^{9, 25, 26, 27, 28}

• demonstrate greater trust in other people
• possess a stronger sense of belonging to their community
• form more close friendships
• achieve greater levels of life satisfaction, happiness and health
• possess a greater desire to give back to their community through volunteering.

Common positive benefits observed when children and young people participate in sport include: ^{9, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24}

• improved wellbeing
• reduced stress and distress
• increased social functioning and vitality.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth who participate in sport are 3.5 times more likely to report good general health and 1.6 times more likely to have no probable serious mental illness. ²⁹

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults who played Australian football in the previous 12 months reported higher life satisfaction than those who did not participate in the sport. They also reported more frequent social contact and were more likely to feel they had support outside their immediate household. ³⁰

Culturally and linguistically diverse

Community sports participation by young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds has been shown to help overcome several unique challenges such as a lack of social supports and connection, sense of displacement, discrimination, and migration stress. ^{31, 32, 33, 34}

People with disability

For children living with disability benefits can include: ^{35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46}

• improved quality of life
• better psychological and mental wellbeing, mood and sleep
• higher levels of physical activity and health-related fitness
• increased social inclusion and social skills.

Challenges

Although there are many positive benefits to sport participation, lack of inclusion, poor behaviours and cultures can have negative impacts on participants. ^{47, 48, 49}

Experiences of discrimination, harassment and abuse within sport in Australia have included verbal and physical abuse, as well as exclusion and silencing tactics. ^{50, 51, 52}

Behaviour or attitudes that produce prejudice, exclusion, or harassment not only tarnish the reputation of individuals, but clubs and sport as a whole. These actions can be very hurtful and offensive to those who are targeted, causing depression, anxiety, and isolation. While some incidences are highly visible, the majority are never discussed.

There is a need for more research and resources to be made available to demonstrate the ways in which sport can have an effective and positive impact on the social and mental wellbeing of all participants, especially those who have higher risks of poor outcomes in this space.

As more institutions, coaching associations, and sport governing organisations adopt inclusive, non-discriminatory policies and implement awareness and educational programs for staff, athletes and fans, the climate will change. The result will be fewer cases of discrimination, harassment and abuse and a better sporting experience for everyone. ^{53, 54}