Associations between Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Mental Health in Youth Hockey Parents

Abstract

Abstract Early sport specialization is becoming increasingly popular among youth. While the negative consequences of early specialization on the physical and psychological health of youth athletes have been well documented in the literature, less is known about the influence of youth sport participation on their parents. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between physical activity, screen time and mental health in youth hockey parents, while considering the role of their child’s level of specialization. Youth hockey parents (N= 91; parents of early specializers n = 81; parents of late specializers n = 10), responded to an online survey. Results of independent samples t-tests indicated that parents of early specializers had poorer emotional well-being (p <.001) and engaged in more screen time (p = .006) compared to parents of late specializers. There were no significant differences in physical activity levels between groups; however, results showed that all parents were insufficiently active. This is concerning as hierarchal multiple regression revealed that physical activity positively predicted mental health (b = .26, p = .02), and specialization played a role (b = .24, p = .03). Findings suggest that early specialization has negative consequences on the health behaviours and mental health of youth hockey parents.