Sports Activity Level and Behavioral Maladjustment Among Male Secondary School Students in Tehran Province, Iran: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Behavioral problems during adolescence can disrupt academic performance, social adjustment, and long-term wellbeing. Sport and physical activity have been proposed as modifiable school-based factors that may support healthier psychosocial development. This study examined the association between sports activity level and behavioral maladjustment among male secondary school students in Tehran Province, Iran. The study used an applied, descriptive-survey design. The statistical population comprised 20,513 male students from selected counties of Tehran Province. Using two-stage cluster sampling with proportional allocation based on the Krejcie and Morgan table, 377 students were required; 400 questionnaires were distributed and 361 were analyzed. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire that included demographic and sports-activity items and a behavioral maladjustment scale. Face validity was confirmed by 10 experts in psychology and sport management, and internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.81). Students were classified into four groups: no sports activity, low activity, moderate activity, and high activity. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey post hoc tests were used. More than half of the students (52.9%) were in the low-activity group, whereas 15.0% were in the high-activity group and 6.4% reported no sports activity. Football was the most common preferred sport, followed by bodybuilding. Mean behavioral maladjustment scores differed markedly across activity levels: no activity 3.20 ± 0.85, high activity 2.02 ± 0.41, moderate activity 2.27 ± 0.32, and low activity 3.62 ± 0.62. The between-group difference was statistically significant, F(3, 357) = 190.54, p < 0.001. Tukey comparisons showed that the high-activity group had significantly lower maladjustment scores than the no-activity, moderate-activity, and low-activity groups. Higher sports activity was associated with lower behavioral maladjustment scores among male secondary school students. The findings support strengthening school-based opportunities for regular sport participation, while future research should use standardized behavioral instruments and longitudinal designs to clarify causality.