Comparing the Healthy Development of Youth Australian Rules Footballers Across Talent Development and Community Settings

Overview

Journal BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med

Specialty Orthopedics

Date 2024 May 13

PMID 38736643

Authors

Liam G Graeme

Kate Hall

Lisa S Olive

Christopher J Greenwood

Nicky Couston

Sophie Mattingley

Lauren M Francis

Erin Hoare

Simon Rice

Jason Bos

Emma Harris

George J Youssef

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to compare talent development athletes to community-level athletes in Australian Rules Football across various markers of healthy youth development.

Methods: Survey data were collected from 363 youth athletes (126 women, 232 men, 5 not reported; Mage=18.69 years, SDage=2.62 years, age range 16-25 years) playing Australian Rules Football at a talent development (recruited from Australian Football League Talent Pathway, n=220) or community (n=143) level. Measures included markers of physical health (eg, general health, risk-taking behaviours), psychological and emotional well-being (eg, mental health symptoms, life satisfaction), family and social relationships (eg, social support, relationship status), educational and occupational attainment/engagement (eg, career satisfaction, education), ethical behaviour (eg, moral self-image), civic engagement, life skills (eg, self-mastery, coping), and demographics.

Results: Based on regression models, relative to community-level athletes, talent development athletes reported better physical health (d=0.51), lower injury rates (OR=0.50) and less problematic drug use (d=-0.46). Talent development athletes also reported better psychological and emotional well-being, evidenced by lower stress (d=-0.30), higher life satisfaction (d=0.47) and less problematic gambling (d=-0.34). Additionally, talent development athletes reported higher family support (d=0.49), lower likelihood of poor educational outcomes (less than expected educational stage; OR=0.37), lower intention to complete less than year 12 education (OR=0.18), higher career satisfaction (d=0.42), higher self-mastery (d=0.37) and higher perfectionistic striving (d=0.59).

Conclusion: Findings demonstrate markers of healthier development within talent development athletes relative to community athlete peers. Investment in community-level sports may be warranted to improve healthy development. However, further causal evidence is required.

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