Category: Advisory Council Research

Travis Dorsch – Across Africa, sport can be more than recreation. It can create opportunities for youth empowerment, health, resilience, life skills and social connection. This scoping review brings together psychosocial research from five African regions, examining what is known about sport’s developmental potential while identifying where evidence remains limited.

Travis Dorsch – Youth sports are about more than competition. They can shape friendships, family schedules, finances and children’s experiences of success and pressure. A FOX 13 report featuring Purdue faculty considers what families are spending to keep children in competitive sports and raises questions about access, specialization and the changing youth sports landscape.

Travis Dorsch – Sport is often seen as a place where young people thrive, but for many athletes, it can also be a source of harm. A new study of 341 current and former athletes looked at how violence from coaches and authority figures, alongside childhood adversity, relates to depression, PTSD, and dissociation. Athletes don’t enter sport as blank slates: past trauma can shape their vulnerability to further harm, and coach violence combined with childhood adversity was especially linked to poorer mental health. The findings point to the importance of trauma-informed coaching and emotionally safe sport environments.

Travis Dorsch – Major global sporting events like the World Cup are increasing youth interest in soccer and influencing family decisions about participation. This “demonstration effect” shapes children’s aspirations and engagement in local sports programs. As participation grows, parents must navigate choices about time, cost, and long-term commitment. Experts emphasize balancing enthusiasm with healthy development, including enjoyment, autonomy, and avoiding early specialization.

Travis Dorsch – Youth sport in the United States is increasingly professionalized, leading families to invest more time and money in participation. This study examines how perceived pressure from coaches and social influences, along with parental beliefs about athletic potential, shape youth sport commitments. Findings show coach pressure is linked to higher financial and time investments, while parental beliefs about potential do not significantly predict investment, suggesting structural demands in youth sport systems strongly influence family decision making.

Travis Dorsch – New research suggests parental investments in youth sports are influenced more by coach-driven specialization pressures and sport system demands than beliefs about a child’s athletic potential. Families often commit significant time and money as youth sports become increasingly professionalized and commercialized.

Travis Dorsch – A cross-cultural study of young soccer players in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States examined how children experience parental support during early involvement in professional youth academies. Findings highlight the importance of emotional support, increased parental involvement and open communication as children navigate the demands of competitive sports pathways.

Elizabeth Day, Jim Elicker, David Purpura – A new longitudinal study examined which early skills best predict children’s mathematics performance by the end of kindergarten. Findings show that prior math achievement and school readiness consistently distinguished both low- and high-performing students, while behavioral self-regulation was especially important for identifying children at risk of low math performance and reading skills helped identify high performers.

Travis Dorsch – A large national study revisits core principles of the Developmental Model of Sport Participation using data from parents of youth athletes ages 6 to 18. Findings show that sport involvement varies by age, investment level, and family and community factors, with structured practice increasing over time while unstructured play declines.

Elizabeth Day – Research from the University of Oregon highlights rising chronic absenteeism in Oregon schools and identifies strategies to improve student attendance. The study emphasizes early intervention, targeted support, and collaboration between schools, families, and communities to help students stay engaged and succeed academically.