While physical activity has been shown to promote positive mental health and aid in treatment, the association between involvement in other activities and depressive symptoms among adolescents remains unclear. We sought to fill a gap in the literature by examining relationships between involvement in sports, art, and leadership activities during high school and depressive symptoms among adolescents. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that all types of involvement would be associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms.

We performed a secondary data analysis using the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey, a population-based survey of students in grades 9 and 11 (N=81,885). Descriptive sample statistics (e.g., frequencies) and chi-square tests, stratified by sex, were used to examine relationships between depressive symptoms and involvement in different extracurricular activities among males and females. Analyses were performed using SPSS.

For males and females, involvement in sports was associated with lower levels of depression, compared to non-involvement. Compared to males who did not participate in arts (16.6%), those who did were significantly more likely to report depressive symptoms (21.2%). In addition, females involved in leadership activities were significantly less likely to report depressive symptoms (21.9%) than those who were not involved in these activities (28.7%). Consistent with previous research, females were more likely to report depressive symptoms than males. Females also were more likely to participate in arts and leadership activities.

For males and females, sports participation, and for females, involvement in leadership activities, may represent protective factors against depressive symptoms during adolescence. However, clinicians might consider inquiring about depressive symptoms among adolescent males involved in art-related activities.