Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) &amp; youth sports participation: Does a gradient exist?

Noel-London, Kemba; Ortiz, Kasim; BeLue, Rhonda

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104924

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The fact that current physical activity levels were not associated with mental health in university students was unexpected given previously documented benefits of physical activity on well-being ( Wahid et al, 2016 ; Pearce et al, 2022 ). Equally surprising was the finding that current levels of physical activity were not more strongly correlated with the personality variables, or with exposure to childhood emotional abuse as (a) exercising less has been associated with scoring higher on alexithymia in males ( Helmers and Mente, 1999 ), SPS in male and female university students ( Yano et al, 2017 ), and AS in both females ( Farris et al, 2019 ) and mixed samples ( Moshier et al, 2015 ); and (b) exposure to emotional abuse in childhood has been linked to reduced participation in sport ( Noel-London et al, 2021 ). Some discussion of these findings is warranted given these surprising results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These authors reported a strong, graded relationship between the number of adverse childhood experiences one had been exposed to and experiences of physical and mental illness in adulthood. Interestingly, exposure to such experiences has also been shown to reduce participation in sport ( Noel-London et al, 2021 ). This latter finding is particularly unfortunate, as engagement in exercise/sport is believed to be an important protective factor for those who have experienced childhood adversity ( Norris and Norris, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Isolating unique variance in mental health outcomes attributable to personality variables and childhood emotional abuse

Van Landeghem,

Jakobson

2024

Front. Psychol.

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IntroductionUniversity students are at high risk for anxiety and depression. Our main objective was to tease apart variance in symptom severity that was uniquely attributable to four associated variables that are frequently confounded: exposure to childhood emotional abuse, alexithymia, sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), and anxiety sensitivity (AS).MethodsUniversity students (N = 410) completed an online survey designed to measure our four key study variables along with several other potentially relevant variables including sex, physical activity levels, and perceived COVID-19 impacts.ResultsOver half of the participants reported moderate to extremely severe symptoms of anxiety and depression. Females reported stronger signs of SPS and AS and were more likely than males to have increased their moderate/vigorous exercise since the pandemic began. After controlling for the other variables, the best predictors of perceived COVID-19 impacts were SPS, childhood emotional abuse, and current levels of physical activity. Whereas all three personality variables and childhood emotional abuse emerged as significant predictors of both depression and anxiety, neither COVID-19 impacts nor physical activity levels accounted for unique variance in either model. Unexpectedly, male sex emerged as an additional risk factor for depression, raising the possibility that males experience unique stressors and societal pressures that increase their risk of depression.DiscussionThese findings help to clarify the links between childhood emotional abuse, personality traits implicated in emotional awareness and self-regulation, and mental health. They may have important implications for the development and implementation of individualized treatments for common mental disorders.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolating unique variance in mental health outcomes attributable to personality variables and childhood emotional abuse

Van Landeghem,

Jakobson

2024

Front. Psychol.

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“…This hypothesis assumes that youth who participate in organized sports are exposed to strong conformational influences, which lead them to internalize conventional norms and values rather than deviant ones ( Hirschi, 1969 ; Schafer, 1969 ; Snyder, 1994 ). Therefore, focused sports interventions may be useful in individuals with ACEs and aggression problems to increase resilience and reduce aggression ( Carver et al, 2014 ; Noel-London et al, 2021 ). Additionally, there is also the less researched “athletic delinquent” hypothesis, which claims that aggressive behavior is actually learned and stimulated by sports activities due to the possibility of cheating in athletic competitions ( Begg et al, 1996 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does sports participation affect the mediating role of impulsivity in the association between adverse childhood experiences and aggression?

Janković,

Van Boxtel,

Bogaerts

2024

Front. Psychol.

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IntroductionAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and self-reported aggression have often been associated, however, the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this association are not fully understood. In addition, less is known about potential factors that could serve as protection against the development of aggressive behavior. In this study, we investigated a moderated mediation model of sports participation and five impulsivity traits including positive and negative urgency, sensation seeking, and lack of premeditation and perseverance, in the association between ACEs and two forms of aggression.Methods and resultsThe sample comprised 651 (68.5% females) individuals from a Dutch community ranging in age from 18 to 82 years (M = 34.08). Contrary to our expectations, sports participation did not affect the associations of ACEs, the five impulsivity traits, and reactive and proactive aggression, except the association between ACEs and lack of premeditation. Specifically, the detrimental effect of ACEs on the propensity to act without thinking, increases among individuals with lower levels of sports participation. In addition, it was also found that sports participation directly contributed to higher levels of sensation seeking. Finally, after controlling for sociodemographic variables, the positive association between ACEs and reactive aggression was significantly mediated by negative urgency, lack of perseverance, and lack of premeditation, while the positive association between ACEs and proactive aggression was significantly mediated by lack of premeditation and positive urgency.ConclusionThe findings of this study add to the body of knowledge about the role of sports participation and impulsivity traits in the development of both forms of aggression, however, replication studies among multiple populations are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

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“…The possible benefits of sport for youth who experience CM are important to disseminate because youth who are exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are less likely to participate in sports (Noel-London et al, 2021). In particular, efforts should be made to ensure that the specific populations that are more impacted by CM (i.e., children of color, children from lower-income backgrounds, children with disabilities; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021; USDHHS, 2019) and are less likely to participate in sports (i.e., girls, children of color, and children with disabilities; Sabo & Veliz, 2008;van Brussel et al, 2011;Women's Sports Foundation, 2011) would be targeted to receive sport interventions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If so, how? The possible benefits of sport for childhood maltreatment survivors would be important to be disseminated because youth who experience adverse childhood experiences are less likely to participate in sports (Noel-London et al, 2021). Adverse childhood experiences are a broad category of traumatic or stressful events that include three groups: abuse, neglect and household challenges (CDC, 2018).…”

Section: Purpose Of This Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Qualitative Investigation of Resilience among Collegiate Athletes Who Survived Childhood Maltreatment

Ramarushton

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The purpose of the current study was to understand the lived experiences and perspectives of high-functioning survivors of moderate or severe childhood maltreatment (CM) as related to the role of athletic participation in the development of their resilience. We emailed and screened Division I student-athletes from universities across the U. S. who did not meet criteria for a traumatic stress disorder. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach and constant comparison methodology, we obtained and analyzed interview data from 13 participants. The pathways through which participation in childhood athletics supported their coping include receiving social support from coaches and teammates, being present and engaged in their athletic participation, feeling relatively safe in their athletic environment, and spending time away from the main perpetrators of the CM. After applying concepts from existing literature to our data, we developed hypotheses to explain the processes by which participation in youth sport fosters resilience. For example, sport participation may provide opportunities for corrective emotional experiences that help young athletes heal. In addition, based on self-determination theory, maltreated elite athletes may benefit from sport participation because it meets their three basic needs (i.e., autonomy, mastery, and relatedness). We conclude this study with suggested implications for researchers and clinicians, as well as recommendations related to the training and education of coaches in terms of CM.

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Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) & youth sports participation: Does a gradient exist?

Cited by 11 publications

References 41 publications

Isolating unique variance in mental health outcomes attributable to personality variables and childhood emotional abuse

Isolating unique variance in mental health outcomes attributable to personality variables and childhood emotional abuse

Does sports participation affect the mediating role of impulsivity in the association between adverse childhood experiences and aggression?

A Qualitative Investigation of Resilience among Collegiate Athletes Who Survived Childhood Maltreatment

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