Sport and Mental Health among Indonesian Adults: Evidence from Indonesia Family Life Survey

Abstract

There is growing evidence in the literature that sport presents a ground for effective and less costly interventions for improving mental health of individuals. Further, previous research has consistently associated physical activity with better health outcomes. However, there is scarce evidence from large community samples. In addition, most of the evidence comes from western countries, and there is little evidence from eastern communities. This study aimed to address the links between sport and mental health in a sample of Indonesian adults. This study used data from an Indonesian community survey. This survey collected information at the national level using stratified random sampling. A total sample of 21,948 individuals (mean age = 39.56, SD = 13.45, range = 18-90, 50.4% of females) was used in this study. Since individual data were nested within communities across Indonesia, hierarchical linear models were used to investigate the links between sport and depression and life satisfaction. The main results showed that engaging in sports was associated with lower levels of depression and increased satisfaction with life. These associations were established taking into account random effects and control variables. These findings suggest that a population that engages in some forms of sports may get mental health benefits and encourage sport participation in rural and urban Indonesian communities.