Body Size, Coping Strategies, and Mental Health in Adolescent Female Athletes

Relations among body size, stress coping strategies, and mental health were examined in female high-school gymnasts (n=44) and basketball players (n=105), aged 14–18 years (M = 15.8, SD = 1.1), through hierarchical regression analyses. Athletes completed the Revised Ways of Coping Checklist prior to the season and the Mental Health Inventory at the end of the season. Body mass index (BMI) was also calculated. The use of adaptive over maladaptive coping strategies was associated with more positive mental health and less distress in both sports. In gymnasts, BMI was inversely related to psychological well-being and the interaction between height and less adaptive coping strategies significantly predicted psychological distress.