School engagement, self-esteem, and depression of adolescents: The role of sport participation and volunteering activity and gender differences

Using a multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) model, this study examined the relationships between school engagement, self-esteem, and depression in adolescents and concurrently evaluated the effects of covariates, including adolescents' sport participation, volunteering activity, and gender, on the study variables. A sample of adolescents (N = 273) was drawn from the data collected by the Youth Development Study (ages 11-18). Results provided evidence for the full mediating effect of self-esteem on the relationship between school engagement and (low) depression in the presence of the covariates. Among the covariates, sport participation was a significant predictor of self-esteem, whereas volunteering activity was a significant predictor of school engagement. Male gender was significantly associated with self-esteem, and female gender was positively associated with school engagement. The results demonstrated no significant gender differences in depression. These findings highlight the important role of extracurricular activities (i.e., sport participation and volunteering activity) in reducing depressive symptoms by enhancing school engagement and self-esteem and suggest that schools and community organizations develop effective strategies for attracting and sustaining adolescents' participation in their after-school programs.