Rugby players report mental health boost from taking part in the sport

Nine out of 10 rugby players believe taking part in the sport boosts their mental health and well-being, research suggests.

The study of 500 rugby players, both amateur and professional, revealed more than half said playing had an “extremely positive” impact on their mental state.

A further 40% of those who participated in the Edinburgh University research said playing had a “somewhat positive” effect.

The study also found no statistically significant difference between male and female players of the sport.

Touch and tag rugby enthusiasts were more likely to report mental health benefits than contact players, according to researchers.

They also found amateur players were three times more likely than professionals to report some kind of mental health dividend.

Players most commonly cited fun, the chance to engage in physical activity and improved fitness as reasons for the sport’s positive impact.

They also listed rugby’s social, environment and support networks, as well as the chance to be outdoors, as significant contributing factors.

Out of the 500 adult players who completed the online survey, 55% were male and 44% were female.

Researchers said 71% were amateur players, 87% took part in contact rugby and 9% predominantly played non-contact versions of the sport.

The findings were published in the BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine journal.

Study author Dr Steffan Griffin said: “Rugby is widely known to provide health-enhancing physical activity for its eight million players worldwide, but the potential mental health benefits have been less well understood.

“We now know players overwhelmingly believe rugby improves their mental health – with some differences reflecting the type of rugby they play, and whether they are amateurs or professionals.

“We’ll be conducting more research to explore this in greater detail.”