The Relationships Between Activism, Community Connectedness, Self-Efficacy, Hope, Resilience, and Depressive Symptoms in Stonewall Sports

Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other gender and sexual minority (LGBTQ+) individuals feel unwelcome in sport settings yet are still interested in participating in sports. LGBTQ+ focused community sport leagues were formed to promote inclusion and celebrate LGBTQ+ identities. Simultaneously, LGBTQ+ focused community sport leagues provide platforms for activism, which may be associated with improved mental health. Structural equation modeling was performed with survey data from 220 LGBTQ+ adults in Stonewall Sports to examine the relationships between activism, depressive symptoms, and several possible mediators. Descriptive statistics showed participants had a high prevalence of depressive symptoms. The main analysis revealed low-risk activism was associated with more depressive symptoms and high-risk activism was indirectly associated with more depressive symptoms. Also, hope and community connectedness were associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Notably, participating in a remix tournament (i.e., being randomly assorted into new teams) was associated with greater community connectedness. Mental health interventions in Stonewall Sports should emphasize community connectedness and hope.