Author(s): Trayosee Ghosh and Akshaya Periasamy

Abstract:
For centuries, mental health healing has been a genderless issue and the field of women’s mental health has developed rapidly since the 1980s. Previous research has established that participation in physical activity and sports are linked to significantly better psychosocial health improvements (Eime et al., 2013). The objective of the study is to compare the level of Curiosity and Exploration, Personal Growth Initiative, Thriving and Life Satisfaction among sportswomen (group and individual) and non-sports women. The sample comprises of a total of 90 participants (30 sportswomen belonging to the individual sports category, 30 sportswomen belonging to the group sports category and 30 non-sportswomen) belonging to the age group of 15-35 years, currently residing in India. Four scales: Curiosity and Exploration Inventory II (Kashdan et al., 2009), Personal Growth Initiative Scale (Christine & Robitschek, 1998), Brief Inventory of Thriving (Diener, Su & Tay, 2014) and Life Satisfaction Scale (Diener, 1985) were administered on the subjects. One-way analysis of variance was carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS-20). The results indicate that an overall significant difference exists between the sports women and the non-sports women in terms of Life Satisfaction (p<0.01), Thriving (p<0.01), Personal Growth Initiative (p<0.05), and Curiosity and Exploration (p<0.01). The findings will help us understand the ameliorative impact of sports on the positive mental health and attributes of adolescent and young adult women, thus helping in promoting a sport-based approach towards positive youth development.

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