Measuring the Association Between Sports and Mental Health Among Mexican LGBTQ People: Psychological Distress Among Athletes, Spectators/Volunteers, and Non-Attendees During the 2023 Gay Games

Mental health benefits from sport are widely established in the general population yet remain underexamined among LGBTQ individuals. Investigation of whether sports can promote LGBTQ mental well-being is warranted. The 2023 Gay Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, provided the opportunity to examine psychological distress among Mexican LGBTQ individuals with different involvement within the event (n = 111). Gay Games athletes (n = 32), spectators/volunteers (n = 41), and non-attendees (n = 38) completed an online questionnaire about mental health, self-reported health, experiences of discrimination, and fear during pride events. Among this sample, 18.8% of athletes reported any psychological distress (as measured by PHQ-4) compared to 36.6% of spectators/volunteers and 50.0% of non-attendees. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the correlation between psychological distress and Gay Games participation. The final adjusted models demonstrated that athletes (OR: 0.200; CI: 0.063, 0.630) and spectators/volunteers (OR: 0.310; CI: 0.097, 0.961) had lower odds of reporting psychological distress than non-attendees. Other significant potential confounders were being transgender (OR: 4.582; CI: 1.392, 15.071), having excellent/very good/good self-rated health (OR: 0.101; CI: 0.014, 0.708), and reporting fear during pride events (OR: 4.583; CI: 1.692, 12.401). These findings provide support for an inverse relationship between poor mental health and LGBTQ-inclusive sports participation and can inform future interventions to promote well-being for groups experiencing substantial mental health disparities.