The 8 Psychological Problems of Children When Facing Sports Practice

Although in the past it could be considered a minor issue, mental health linked to sport is an aspect capable of significantly affecting both the quality of life of millions of people around the world, as well as their sporting performance.

When we are also talking about children and adolescents who practice sports, it is even more important to pay attention to the signs that there are psychological and psychosocial phenomena that interfere between young people and normal sports practice

What are the most common psychological problems in child athletes?

These are the main psychological and psychosocial alterations that children who practice a sport, both individually and as a team, may present.

1. Fear and extreme shyness

The fear of being in front of a large audience or public is generally one of the main reasons why a boy or girl does not want to expose themselves to playing a certain sport.

This feeling of anguish and restlessness when being observed or judged by a large number of people can cause real mental health problems in our children and is usually reason enough for them to give up.

This generally affects boys and girls with self-esteem problems or those who may have a more serious latent psychological disorder.

2. Frustration over mistakes

The inability to manage the frustration that our child may feel when participating in a specific sport also constitutes a psychological problem depending on how his mistakes on the field of play are experienced at each moment. Furthermore, all this at an age where making mistakes is common, due to lack of experience. This frustration is often generated by the results obtained or by the failure to compete with other teams or in individual sports.

In addition to that, the inability to learn from one’s own mistakes also generates great frustration, as well as focusing too much on mistakes and not valuing the positive aspects of the sporting activity being carried out.

3. Low self-esteem

As indicated, low self-esteem is one of the main psychological problems that boys and girls, as well as school-age adolescents who participate in sports, can have.

At these ages is when the personality of each individual is formed and many of these children and young people can develop an insecure, depressed or anxious personality if they do not have a good level of self-esteem.

There are many factors that contribute to a person having low self-esteem, among the main ones we can highlight the fact of constantly comparing oneself with one’s teammates and believing that one is not as good as them or as the members of the team. contrary.

4. Lack of motivation

The lack of motivation to continue practicing a sport is also a psychological alteration that many boys and girls can encounter throughout their childhood sports career.

This lack of motivation can also come from not having clear objectives for improvement or not having a future horizon of hope or excitement, both on a personal, professional or sporting level.

5. Perception of great pressure from parents

Parents play a fundamental role in the lives of child athletes and their actions can greatly affect the mental health of their children.

Some parents exert excessive and disproportionate pressure on their children to become better every day, generally as a way to compensate for failures or complexes from their past as athletes.

This pressure can manifest itself in a direct and obvious way or in more subtle ways, but it ends up being a very difficult burden for children to bear, who end up developing more serious mental health problems such as anxiety, stress or depression.

6. Poor communication skills

Having few or deficient communication skills is also a classic obstacle encountered by boys and girls who compete in a sport in which the coordination of team members is key.

Often these children may have difficulties communicating or few practical strategies to do so successfully with their peers or coaches and this greatly hinders their ability to work as a team.

If the child is not able to communicate correctly with his teammates, it will be difficult for him to achieve sporting success and this will significantly affect his self-esteem, his ability to manage anxiety, and his mental health in general.

7. Social conflict

Due to the competitive nature of many sports, young people who have more problems managing impulsivity may have problems managing their frustration and They are frequently involved in conflicts with other peers and also with adults (whether with coaches, referees or with their parents).

This type of social conflict affects both the quality of the boy or girl’s sporting life and their sporting performance, and is also due to a lack of basic social skills, such as assertiveness, which have not yet been adequately worked on.

8. Excessive competition

Excessive competitiveness is a problem that some athletic children have and can also be related to a very harsh parenting style on the part of their parents.

Having a great feeling of competitiveness, defeats tend to be more painful when they occur and that is something that deeply affects a person’s mental health.

Are you looking for professional psychological assistance?

If you want to have the psychological assistance of a team with a lot of experience in both the field of psychotherapy and sports psychology, contact us.

In UPAD Psychology and Coaching We work serving adults, children, adolescents and families.