The Mental Health of Gay Men of Grassroots Gay Volleyball Teams in Japan

Abstract

This study investigated mental health characteristics among grassroots LGBT sports participants in Japan and identified factors related to their mental health. A survey was conducted with gay men participating in gay volleyball teams. The results indicated that their mental health was better than that of the general population of gay and bisexual men and was comparable to that of heterosexual men. However, their mental health was not correlated with their volleyball or gay volleyball experience. Instead, it was associated with subjective economic status and concerns about living in old age. These results suggest that gay men who are financially comfortable and have good mental health may be participating in gay volleyball, rather than that their mental health has improved as a result of their participation in gay volleyball. Future research should increase the sample size, measure variables such as competition level, competition orientation, and sport experience, as well as include grassroots LGBT sports other than gay volleyball in the study to determine the causal relationship and mechanism between grassroots LGBT sports and participants' mental health. This study, demonstrating that gay men participating in gay volleyball have good mental health, is a pioneering foundation for addressing these challenges.