Home > Theses > Estudio transversal de la influencia del nivel de competición en la calidad de vida y calidad de sueño en futbolistas adolescentes: comparación con inactivos y deportistas no competitivos
Abstract (other lang.): Adolescence is a key period in life characterized by numerous physical, social, and psychological changes, representing an important stage in the formation of lifestyle habits and the development of physical, mental, and social well-being. This stage is considered an important time for developing personal relationships and making health-related decisions. In this context, physical activity plays an important role in influencing sleep quality and quality of life during this stage. Soccer is one of the most popular sports worldwide and represents one of the main options for physical activity among adolescents due to its accessibility and social appeal. Despit this, most studies have focused on injury-related factors, with less attention paid to factors related to mental health. The overall objective of this doctoral thesis is to assess the influence of competition level on quality of life and sleep in adolescent soccer players and to compare the results with inactive adolescents or those who practice non-competitive sports. Accordingly, 12,459 subjects completed an online questionnaire. Inactive subjects, non-competitive athletes, and soccer players were selected for this study. The total sample consisted of 5,692 adolescents, including 3,001 boys (mean age: 15.0 ± 1.7 years; mean BMI: 20.7 ± 3.7) and 2,691 girls (mean age: 15.0 ± 1.7 years; mean BMI: 20.4 ± 3.3). Participants were classified into three groups: an inactive control group that was not an athlete (n = 1,031); athletes who had practiced regularly at least two days a week for the past six months but did not compete (n = 3,249); and soccer players (n = 1,412). Among the soccer players, 1,080 competed at the local level, 165 at the regional level, and 167 at the national level. The anonymous online questionnaire included, in addition to sociodemographic questions, physical activity level (PAQ-A), and sports competition, two validated questionnaires: the KIDSCREEN-52 quality of life questionnaire and the PSQI sleep quality questionnaire. The results showed that physical activity levels were positively associated with better quality of life and sleep quality in adolescents, although it is speculated that this association could be mediated by sex and participation in sports competitions. It has been observed that the absence of sports competition can negatively affect perceptions of physical and psychosocial health, suggesting that competition affects not only athletic performance but also the general health of adolescents. Soccer players at higher levels of competition generally showed better results in quality of life and sleep quality, with lower percentages of poor sleepers among those who competed at higher levels. Gender plays an important role in assessing the relationship between levels of sports competition, sleep quality, and quality of life, with girls reporting significantly worse results, except in the social domains, where no differences were observed. Regarding age, a progressive deterioration in quality of life and sleep was observed with increasing age. This pattern is consistent in boys and girls, but is more pronounced in girls, especially in areas such as physical and emotional well-being and the school environment. Furthermore, sleep quality indicators worsened significantly in older age groups. This highlights the need to consider sex and age differences when designing wellness promotion programs for adolescent athletes. In our results, in both sexes, the absence of sports competition negatively affected the perception of physical and psychosocial health compared to those who did compete. In conclusion, adolescents who play competitive soccer report better sleep quality and quality of life compared to those who are physically inactive or who play sports without competing. It is noteworthy that soccer players at higher competitive levels generally report better sleep quality and quality of life, and this positive effect persists regardless of gender.