A Comparative Study Of Depression Among Athletes And Non-Athletes

Depression is a common psychological issue among adolescents. It can negatively affect their emotional balance and overall quality of life. This study was conducted to compare the depression levels of athletes and non- athletes and to see whether regular participation in sports helps improve mental health in adolescents. The sample consisted of 200 male students aged 14 to 18 years. Among them, 100 were athletes regularly involved in organized sports, while the remaining 100 were non-athletes who did not take part in any regular physical activities. The Depression subscale of the Anxiety, Depression and Stress Scale (Bhatnagar & Singh, 2011) was used to assess depression levels among the participants. An independent t-test was conducted to compare the average depression scores of the two groups. Athletes had an average score of 21.84 (SD = 9.42), while non- athletes had a higher average score of 27.18 (SD = 10.11). The t-value of

3.45 and p-value of 0.001 showed a significant difference at the 0.05 level, indicating that non-athletes experience more depression than athletes. The study suggests that regular involvement in sports helps protect adolescents from depressive symptoms and improves their emotional strength.