High school athletic participation was significantly associated with reduced odds of considering suicide among both sexes, and reduced odds of planning a suicide attempt among females only.
Cross-Sectional (n=16,000)
Yes
Does high school athletic participation reduce rates of suicidal ideation and behavior in US high school students?
High school athletic participation is associated with reduced suicidal ideation in both sexes and reduced planning in females, though male athletes who attempt suicide experience higher injury rates.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among US adolescents aged 15-24, with males incurring higher rates of completion than females. This study used hierarchical logistic regression analysis to test whether athletic participation was associated with lower rates of suicidal ideation and behavior among a nationally representative sample of over 16,000 US public and private high school students. Net of the effects of age, race/ethnicity, parental educational attainment, and urbanicity, high school athletic participation was significantly associated with reduced odds of considering suicide among both females and males, and reduced odds of planning a suicide attempt among females only. Though the results point to favorable health outcomes for athletes, athletic participation was also associated with higher rates of injury to male athletes who actually attempted suicide.
Sabo et al. (Tue,) conducted a cross-sectional in Suicidal ideation and behavior (n=16,000). Athletic participation vs. No athletic participation was evaluated on Suicidal ideation and behavior. High school athletic participation was significantly associated with reduced odds of considering suicide among both sexes, and reduced odds of planning a suicide attempt among females only.