The Impact of Sports and Physical Exercise on the Development of Social, Motor, and Emotional Skills on Abused Children and Children in Single-Parent Households in the United States.
Introduction
As of 2020, one in seven children in the United States experience neglect, abuse, and violence within their homes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). These same children face issues throughout their development including, but not limited to, inhibition in forming physical, neurological, social, and emotional development, as affirmed by the National Library of Medicine, a national center for biotechnology information. To solve this issue, psychologists linked a connection between improvements in the development of abused children to their participation in sports. In a study done by the Journal of the American Medical Association, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association, “the rates of depression, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among adults who had suffered at least one adverse childhood experience were lower among those who had played sports as teens, compared to those who did not.” Sports participation proves to be a crucial component of development for abused children, enabling them to foster social and emotional skills through the forging of strong connections with their teammates and enhancing their motor skills through physical activity. However, although this engagement can create various benefits for children faced with adverse childhoods, there is a significant barrier to their access. Many children within single-parent households often have a lack of resources to money, the basic fuel for many sports-related activities. Equipment, entry fees, uniforms, shoes, and classes to teach skills are just a few things that are provided with money. A study by the National Library of Medicine, a premier bibliographic database, showed that “single-parent families are at a high risk of financial hardship.” Poverty and the maltreatment of children also go hand-in-hand, research by the National Conference of State Legislatures, an organization created by U.S. state legislators and legislative staff in 1975, has reported that poverty plays a role in child endangerment, creating a vulnerable environment where children are more likely to be subject to neglect. Thus, it is evident that to improve the development of children from single-parent and disadvantaged communities, financial aid and benefits should be provided to help encourage the participation of extracurricular activities in recreational sports. From another perspective, some may argue that participation in sports is counterintuitive for children with adverse childhood experiences (ACE) due to their likelihood of experiencing abuse within that sport. Child USA, a leading national nonprofit organization, reports that approximately 12 to 15 percent of adolescents engaged in sports experience physical abuse. One in five girls and one in thirteen boys face this long-lasting trauma, which raises the question of the effectiveness of athletic involvement in fostering development for children. In this discussion, does involvement in sports encourage motor, social, and emotional development in children from domestically abusive homes and single-parent households in the United States?
Overall, sports play an undeniable role as a catalyst for complex development within the lives of abused and single-parent children. Through cultivating social, motor, and emotional skills, athletic involvement emerges as a vital pathway to better health and growth. Financial systemic barriers must be addressed and overcome so that children who face these issues in development due to abuse and absentee parents can gain access to the necessary resources they need. However, as children embark on their journey toward physical improvement, they become vulnerable to maltreatment from both coaches and peers, thereby compounding the impact of prior trauma. Although children face multifaceted effects from their engagement in sports, the overall benefits outweigh its cons, amplifying life skills that aid in the development of adolescents with ACEs.
The Benefits of Sports on Abused and Single-Parent Children (Children with ACEs)
As children grappling with adverse childhood experiences actively participate in sports, they experience evident social, emotional, and physical benefits that contribute significantly to their overall well-being. Therefore, promoting sports engagement becomes imperative to the betterment of abused and single-parent children. The Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, a prominent resource for clinicians, teachers, and researchers in pediatric healthcare, has underscored the positive impacts of sports participation for abused children. These encompass heightened self-esteem, increased endorphin levels, and greater social support, ultimately reducing the risk of depression and poor physical health in adulthood.
In a particular study led by Molly Easterlin, a pediatrician specializing in social and behavioral determinants of life-long health, 5,000 teens who had undergone adverse childhood experiences (ACE) were examined to assess the impact of engaging in sports on their long-term well-being. Commencing in 1994 during 7th-12th grade for these adolescents and ending in 2008, 14 years later as they transitioned into adulthood, Easterlin and her colleagues found that those who had participated in team sports exhibited significantly lower rates of depression, depressive symptoms, and anxiety in their adulthood compared to their non-athetic counterparts. By introducing a competitive team dynamic rooted in physical development, athletics enhanced the participants’ physical abilities and contributed to the development of social and emotional skills. Furthermore, Easterlin’s study revealed a notable distinction in the effects of sports compared to other extracurricular activities. Specifically, participation in nonathletic pursuits such as drama and orchestra did not yield the same positive impacts on a child with ACE’s overall well-being. Sports create a competitive, team-building environment that is otherwise not seen in any other extracurricular.
Partaking in a sport gives children a healthy outlet to channel their negative feelings, as affirmed by Health Direct, a government-led research organization. This is considerably helpful to children with ACEs, who have a limited amount of resources available to help them cope with negative feelings of worthlessness, fear, and self-blame as commonly felt by abused kids (Kids Help Line). Recreational sports teaches kids to overcome their insecurities formed by an unstable environment growing up. This trains mature emotional development and teaches children to become resilient in the face of adverse outcomes, such as loss, with greater strength and adaptability. Sports not only stimulate mental well-being but also amplifies physical development as well. According to research from the esteemed University of San Diego, a direct correlation exists between sports and improved hand-eye coordination, endurance, functional movement skills, strength, and overall better development of muscles and bones throughout the body. Therefore, participation in sports is strongly linked with heightened social, emotional, and motor advantages, particularly benefiting children with ACEs who are in distinct need of support during the crucial stages of early childhood development.
Counterarguments to the Impact of Sports on the Health of Children with ACEs
Essential increases in overall health, social, emotional, and motor skills can be seen in children faced with ACEs in later adulthood, which further creates the urgent need for the development of sports programs catered to creating accessibility to lower-income families. This holds true, especially for children with ACE. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a federal US-led agency, children in families with low socioeconomic status are five times more likely to experience child abuse and neglect. Additionally, the Aspen Institute, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to humanistic studies, revealed that children from lower-income families engage in team sports at only half the rate of their wealthier counterparts. This correlational study brings up the argument of altogether the effectiveness of sports programs and their ability to reach their most impacted audience: abused and single-parent children.
Nevertheless, this issue is solved through non-profit organizations catered to providing financial support in youth sports. A prime example is All Kids Play, an organization dedicated to enhancing the accessibility of quality youth sports participation by providing financial assistance to families and communities facing resource constraints. Non-profits play a huge role in bridging the financial gap between children from low-income families, propelling their access to athletics. Donations such as the 75 grants, consisting of $75000, given to youth sports programs across the US, further fuel the opportunities for sports access to adolescents.
Another counterclaim is the abuse student-athletes face from coaches and peers. Child USA reports that one in twelve children experience sexual violence from their engagement in sports. Sexual trauma is likely to remain for an indefinite period within the victim’s life, disrupting the emotional and social aspects of their development. This devastating finding counteracts the benefits of sports in the development of abused children. The abuse that student-athletes face further argues against the validity of the impact sports have on the enhancement of skills within a child with ACEs.
Abuse can be stopped, and administrators have implemented various strategies to recognize and halt the immediate execution of maltreatment within sports. In 2018, U.S. Congress signed the “Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act,” also known as the Safe Sport Act, which legally requires all recreational sports leagues, camps, and clubs, to be mandated reporters of child abuse. This act decreases the likelihood of continuous sport-related abuse. Moreover, the recognition of abuse within adolescent sports further fuels the presence of trained individuals ready to combat this problem. School administrators, teachers, and other coaches experience prerequisite education to recognize and handle child abuse within educational environments such as sports (California Department of Education). Policies that identify signs of child neglect and maltreatment from coaches are taught to educational personnel and further analyzed by authorities to counter the abuse children face in sports. Furthermore, the social, emotional, and physical benefits of sports and physical activity, provided for by various reputable organizations such as the National Library of Medicine and pediatrician Molly Easterlin, still remain even in the presence of these counterarguments. To this end, sports, through the advantages of mental and physical development it brings to abused and single-parent children (children with ACEs), conclusively increases the social, emotional, and motor improvements of children with ACEs.
Works Cited
“What are child abuse and neglect?” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 April 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/fastfact.html#:~:text=How%20big%20is%20the%20problem,year%20in%20the%20United%20States.
Easterlin, Molly C.; Chung, Paul J.; Leng, Mai. “Association of Team Sports Participation With Long-term Mental Health Outcomes Among Individuals Exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences.” The Journal of the American Medical Association, 28 May 2019, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2734743?utm_campaign=articlePDF&utm_medium=articlePDFlink&utm_source=articlePDF&utm_content=jamapediatrics.2019.1212.
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Stack, Rebecca Jayne and Meredith, Alex. “The Impact of Financial Hardship on Single Parents: An Exploration of the Journey From Social Distress to Seeking Help.” National Library of Medicine, 17 October 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5932102/.
Yordy, Jill. “Poverty and Child Neglect: How Did We Get It Wrong?” National Conference of State Legislatures, 21 February 2023, https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/poverty-and-child-neglect-how-did-we-get-it-wrong#:~:text=Research%20shows%20the%20presence%20of,is%20a%20promising%20prevention%20pathway.
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Solomon, Jon. “Aspen Institute’s Project Play Report Shows Kids Are Losing Programs to Play Sports During Pandemic.” Aspen Institute, 12 October 2021, https://www.aspeninstitute.org/news/state-of-play-2021/.
Hamilton, Carci A. Timon, Carter E. “Preliminary Report: Five Key Findings of the Elite Athlete Survey.” Child USA, 9 July 2021, https://childusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Five-Key-Findings-from-the-EAS-7.9.2021-Updated.pdf.
“Developing life skills through sports.” Health Direct, June 2022, https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/developing-life-skills-through-sports.
“The Benefits of Youth Sports in Child Development.” University of San Diego, 2023, https://pce.sandiego.edu/child-development-through-sports/#:~:text=Greater%20development%20of%20hand%2Deye,complications%20of%20chronic%20muscle%20pain.
“About Us.” All Kids Play, 2021, About Us - All Kids PlayAll Kids Playhttps://allkidsplay.org › about-us.
“The DICK’s Foundation’s 75for75 Sports Matter Program.” Sports Matter, 2023, https://www.sportsmatter.org/.
“Child Abuse Prevention Training and Resources.” California Department of Education, 20 October 2023, https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/ap/index.asp#:~:text=Training%20for%20Mandated%20Reporters&text=Mandated%20reporter%20training%20is%20funded,occupational%20groups%2C%20including%20school%20personnel.