Sport Participation Trajectories and Loneliness: Evidence From the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.

Young people who continued participating in sport in general, and particularly in team sport, had a reduced risk of loneliness. Continued participation in sports should be promoted to improve a range of physical, mental, and social health benefits. Furthermore, team-based sport can provide additional health and well-being benefits, including reduced loneliness due to the group nature of participation.