Unless there is a medical condition that has caused your family physician to demand an embargo on athletic activity, the answer to “Should I let my kid play sports?” is generally YES. The physical benefits are certainly known, but there are also mental health advantages to participating in competitive sports in adolescence. These include the following:
- Provides a sense of belonging and Inclusion
- Produces physiological responses known to help alleviate anxiety and stress
- Healthy body + healthy mind connection
For further insight into these advantages, please read Positive Impact of Sport on Mental Health.
However, it’s the other mental health implications that have some parents concerned. In addition to famous Olympians and professional athletes opening up about mental health issues, current events are fueling maternal/paternal fires of concern. In one corner there are stories of student athletes being targeted by angry sports bettors. In another there’s the prospect that young collegiate prospects will be get caught up in an NCAA NIL scandal. So on and so forth. These issues have become emotionally taxing to young athletes who already face a number of other mental health challenges.
The good news, is that you needn’t sacrifice the benefits in order to avoid the potential for compromised mental health. There are steps parents can take to mitigate risks by monitoring for and preparing their kids for the challenges sports in modern times can have on their mental and behavioral health. Please keep reading.
What Parents Can Do to Make Sure That the Mental Health of Their Children is Protected When Playing Competitive Sports
Manage Common Mental Health Challenges Faced by Young Athletes
There are mental health challenges faced by student athletes, that grow as they grow from young adolescence into early adulthood. These include the following:
- Mental exhaustion
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Stress
- Substance abuse
- Eating disorders
We know this list is scary for a parent, and is probably part of why you’ve Googled “Should I let my kid play sports?” but please note that the risks can be effectively mitigated through your intervention. This intervention comes in the form of open family discussion about mental health so that there is no stigma about it in your household. Remember, not discussing something can be just as harmful as besmirching it. Your child/teen should feel that they can come to you about what they’re feeling, whether its connected to their academics, social interactions, or sports. It’s usually tied to all three.
Of course, there are more tangible and direct steps to take. Anxiety, stress, and mental exhaustion often come from an attempt to juggle their academic workload with athletics. You will need to be prepared to help them with their homework more often, and bring in a tutor if needed for certain subjects. Be sure to stay in constant communication with their teachers and coaches because ultimately these professionals may be communicating with your kid during the school week more than you do. Let them know if you’re concerned about the mental health challenges above and to monitor for signs of burnout.
When it comes to the threat of substance abuse and eating disorders, early education is instrumental. While most schools have worked education on substance abuse and eating disorders into curriculums, discuss them at home as well, piggybacking off of the materials provided by your child’s school to ensure consistency in messaging.
Furthermore, you can help prepare them for specific issues that may present themselves if they enter elite athletics. Given that college students can now make money via NCAA NIL programs, it would be a good idea to educate them on money management beforehand. This is especially relevant to kids involved in organized action sports (league based skateboarding, surfing, BMX, etc.) as it’s not uncommon for sponsorship dollars to roll in as early as 12 years old. Some sponsors send gear to 3-year olds when they show potential. Even if your kid doesn’t become a part of the elite, it certainly doesn’t hurt to teach them money management skills. It will help keep them from getting into debt (another mental health threat) as they get older.
Perhaps the most important accompaniment to this strategy, is the willingness of your household to embrace family counseling. It’s time for American to consider counseling in the same manner as regular checkups with a family doctor and dentist. In other words, don’t wait for something to go wrong before connecting to a healthcare provider. Family counseling can be very powerful in protecting teenagers as they navigate through life in competitive athletics. If your child is still quite young, you can instead set an example by attending counseling as a couple (where applicable) or an individual. This normalizes mental health care in your household which sets the table for a healthy future for your budding young athlete.
Prepare Them for Problem Gambling That Plagues Vulnerable Young Athletes
There’s a silent killer (figuratively and unfortunately literally in some cases) of young athlete dreams of greatness that is slowly but steadily coming to light in America – problem gambling. Research shows that the prevalence of problem gambling (6%), moderate-risk gambling (14%) and low-risk gambling (19%) far exceeded the equivalent rates of the general population which lands between 1-2% for the same classifications. Not only do they exhibit personality traits (competitiveness, etc.) that make gambling a draw, they are exposed to triggers more than most, especially as they graduate from adolescence into collegiate and other “league” environments.
Whether your child in question is in grade school, a pre-teen, or on the verge of entering a post-secondary program, early intervention education on the threat of gambling is critical. For young adolescents, this involves talking to them about the gambling advertising that they see on TV, even during children’s programming. For teenagers who are more prone to eye-rolling when parents attempt to engage on such matters, share content that is more on their level. While a parody, the recent Saturday Night Live skit “Rock Bottom Kings” put the sports betting world on blast and can serve as an educational tool for teenagers. They may even be interested in the recent Men’s Health feature about the Human Cost of the Sports Betting Boom.
It’s also important to identify if your child has any other vulnerabilities to problem gambling before they embark upon a more focused life in competitive sports. If your son or daughter has any of the following mental health issues (or there is a history of them in the family) you will need to address these issues through mental health interventions:
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Schizophrenia
For further insight into this consideration, please read Who is Most Vulnerable to Developing Gambling Disorder.
Further, as a parent, you have an innate right to petition for the introduction of health programs in your child’s school. Initiate conversations in PTA meetings and/or connect to administration to request that early intervention education about problem gambling be worked into the school’s youth athletics programs. Pass this article on to the powers-that-be at your child’s school so that they may consider partnering with a care provider and start the program in time for next semester.
Work Together as a Family Unit
Lastly, we circle back to what we touched on in the first item (common mental health challenges) in this discussion about whether or not you should let your kid play sports. Your young athlete cannot be left to their own devices to manage current and future challenges to their mental and behavioral health. There are family counseling programs in place that allow households to work together in both healing (for existing issues) and healthy discussion about present/future threats that will assist in prevention strategies. To learn more, reach out via the contacts provided below.
Parents Concerned About the Mental Health of Their Student Athletes
CALL +1 (877) 426-4258
OR
Email [email protected]
