A pilot study of the effects of martial arts training on children's symptoms of psychopathology

Abstract

The following study was perfonned for the purpose of examining the effects of martial arts training on children's symptoms of psychopathology and self-esteem. 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and their parent(s) from two schools responded to questionnaires regarding their symptoms of psychopathology [the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach and Rescorla, 2001) and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS; Chorpita, Yim, Moffitt, Umemoto, and Francis, 2000)] and self-esteem [the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE; Rosenberg, 1965)] both before and after a 5-week period of training in Shotokan Karate. Specific hypotheses regarding the effects of Karate training over time were as follows: 1) CBCL Internalizing and Externalizing scores will decrease over time, 2) RCADS Total Anxiety and Depression scores will decrease over time, and 3) RSE scores will increase over time. Hypotheses were partially supported, with RCADS Depression scores exhibiting a significant decrease over time.