Occurrence of mental health symptoms and disorders in current and former elite athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies (by design analogy).
PubMed 31097451 · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2019-100671
What was done
A systematic review and meta-analysis searched five electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, SportDiscus, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Cochrane) from inception to November 2018. Quantitative studies in English reporting incidence or prevalence of mental health symptoms or disorders exclusively in current or former elite athletes were included.
What was found
Twenty-two studies examined current elite athletes (meta-analyses included 2,895 to 5,555 athletes), reporting symptom prevalence ranging from 19% for alcohol misuse to 34% for anxiety/depression. Fifteen studies examined former elite athletes (meta-analyses included 1,579 to 1,686 athletes), reporting symptom prevalence ranging from 16% for distress to 26% for anxiety/depression. Both groups most commonly reported symptoms of distress, sleep disturbance, anxiety/depression, and alcohol misuse.
Why it matters
This review provides pooled epidemiological baseline figures showing that a substantial proportion of elite athletes experience mental health symptoms both during their competitive careers and after retirement.
Limits
The abstract does not report confidence intervals, between-study heterogeneity, diagnostic criteria used (screening tools vs. clinical interviews), or specific sport types. Only English-language quantitative studies were included, and the underlying studies are observational.
Cited by
- contradicts Most Olympic athletes who win a medal experience clinical depression in the wake of winning.