By Stephen Beech
Playing sports as a child can breed respect for authority as a teenager, according to new research.
Young adolescents – especially boys – who participated in organized sports between the ages of six and 10-years-old are less likely to defy their parents, teachers and other authority figures, say scientists.
The study, by researchers in Canada and Italy, focused on 1,492 boys and girls who participated in organized extracurricular games aged six to 10.
At ages 10 and 12, the same children self-reported on symptoms of oppositional-defiant behavior.
Study lead author Matteo Privitera said: “Oppositional-defiant disorder, or ODD, is often under-diagnosed and can co-occur with other developmental disorders.
“Symptoms of the disorder include persistent patterns of irritability, defiance and hostility toward authority figures.
“The disorder is over-represented by boys and often accompanies other neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD and learning disabilities.
“These behaviors can interfere with learning, relationships and long-term mental health.
“In our study, we wanted to look into the symptoms and try to identify accessible, community-based strategies that foster more adaptive behavior in children.”
Privitera, a doctoral student at the University of Pavia in Italy, and his colleagues examined data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a group of youngsters born in 1997 or 1998 in Canada.
The extracurricular sports included any supervised by an adult coach or instructor, structured according to established rules, practiced in a group and involving a competitive element.
Factors including family income, maternal education and the child’s behavioral profiles were considered and their influence was accounted for in the analysis.
Privitera said: “Boys who consistently participated in organized sports showed significantly fewer subsequent oppositional-defiant symptoms at both ages compared to boys with low or inconsistent participation.
“Sport may serve as a natural and influential context for learning self-regulation, cooperation and respect for rules.”
The researchers used statistical procedures to estimate associations, while adjusting for early childhood behavioral symptoms and family background.
No significant associations between sports and ODD were found for girls.
That was not surprising given that boys generally show more oppositional behavior in middle childhood, according to the researchers.
Team member Kianoush Harandian, a doctoral candidate at the University of Montreal, said: “Our findings support the idea that structured extracurricular activities can promote behavioral resilience.
“Sport offers a supervised and socially engaging environment that may help boys internalize adaptive behavioral norms.”
Privitera’s supervisor Professor Linda Pagani says the findings, published in the journal European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, have implications for public-health and education policies.
She added: “Encouraging sustained sport participation in middle childhood may reduce the burden of disruptive behavior disorders and support long-term well-being.
“It’s a simple, actionable strategy with benefits for families, schools and communities.”
