Salud mental y normas de género en mujeres deportistas: deportes individuales vs equipo

Abstract

In research on physical activity and mental health, the situation of women is not studied at the same level as that of men, and research that analyses gender stereotypes and their impact in the field of sport is even scarcer. The aim of this paper is to analyse whether there are differences in mental health among women in team and individual sports when analysing their level of conformity to gender norms. A total of 339 women (189 playing individual sports and 150 playing team sports) responded to a questionnaire that assessed characteristics related to their sports practice, conformity to gender norms (CFNI-45), perceived social support (SSI), general mental health variables (GHQ12), anxiety and depression (PROMIS®). The design used in the methodology for this research is nonexperimental, descriptive and cross-sectional. The main results found that women who practised individual sport scored significantly higher on variables such as Romantic Relationships, Depression and Anxiety. The variables Thinness, Modesty, Domestic, and being younger and playing individual sports were related to having worse mental health. Other results indicate that women who are members of a sports team are less likely to suffer from negative psychological symptoms and are less compliant with gender norms related to potential threats to their mental health status. It is concluded that team sports provide greater protective factors against the adverse effects that gender norms have the potential to exert on women’s mental health within sport.