Research summary · Youth development
Motor competence and youth mental health
A review examines the association between motor competence and mental-health outcomes in healthy children and adolescents.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Systematic review and meta-analysis
- Journal
- European Journal of Sport Science
- Population / context
- Healthy youth aged 5–19 · Physical activity
What the publication reports
Seventeen studies met the criteria and 15 entered meta-analysis. The pooled association was small (effect size 0.30), with differences by age, study design, measurement approach and the motor and mental-health domains assessed.
Limits and interpretation
Fourteen studies were cross-sectional and most focused on children, so direction and causality cannot be established. Experimental evidence in adolescents remains limited.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Associations Between Motor Competence and Mental Health in Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42399590DOI: 10.1002/ejsc.70220Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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