Body mass index: A determinant of distress, depression, self-esteem, and satisfaction with life amongst recreational athletes from random intermittent dynamic type sports

This study aimed to understand the impact of body mass index on distress, depression, self-esteem, and satisfaction with life amongst recreational athletes from random intermittent dynamic type sports. A cross-sectional study design was selected with 440 recreational athletes to conduct this study. The mean age was 20.34 ± 1.33 years, height was 157.27 ± 5.93 cm, weight was 57.31 ± 13.02 kg, and BMI was 25.82 ± 6.64 kg/m(2). All the athletes voluntarily participated in this study. Psychological distress was measured with the K10 questionnaire; depression was measured with the PHQ-9 self-reported questionnaire. The Rosenberg self-esteem scale measured self-esteem, and Diener's satisfaction with life scale measured satisfaction with life. The data collection was conducted in the classroom setting. It took 12–15 min to complete the survey. The descriptive statistics were calculated, and the ordinal-scale, qualitative variables and frequency distributions for different categories were determined. The Chi-Square (two-tails) test was applied to find the relationship between the variables. The significant level was set at 0.05 level. The result showed that body mass index was significantly related to distress (X(2) = 27.59, p = .001) and life satisfaction (X(2) = 45.14, p = .001). Whereas depression (X(2) = 15.46, p = .148) and self-esteem (X(2) = 12.02, p = .212) showed an insignificant relationship with body mass index among recreational athletes from random intermittent dynamic sports. The study highlighted the health implications of psychological distress, depression, self-esteem, and satisfaction with life with body mass index among recreational athletes from random intermittent dynamic sports. Future studies are needed to understand better the interaction between psychological variables and body mass index level.