Effect of media on the mental health of elite athletes

Mental health symptoms and disorders are common among elite athletes, may have sport related manifestations within this population and impair performance. Mental health cannot be separated from physical health, as evidenced by mental health symptoms and disorders increasing the risk of physical injury and delaying subsequent recovery. There are no evidence or consensus based guidelines for diagnosis and management of mental health symptoms and disorders in elite athletes. Diagnosis must differentiate character traits particular to elite athletes from psychosocial maladaptations.Management strategies should address all contributors to mental health symptoms and consider biopsychosocial factors relevant to athletes to maximise benefit and minimise harm. Management must involve both treatment of affected individual athletes and optimising environments in which all elite athletes train and compete. To advance a more standardised, evidence based approach to mental health symptoms and disorders in elite athletes, an International Olympic Committee Consensus Work Group critically evaluated the current state of science and provided recommendations.

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Mental health symptoms and disorders in elite athletes: a systematic review on cultural influencers and barriers to athletes seeking treatment

British Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1136/bjsports-2019-100710 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 53 (11) ◽

pp. 707-721 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia ◽

João Guilherme de Mello e Gallinaro ◽

Rodrigo Scialfa Falcão ◽

Vincent Gouttebarge ◽

Mary E Hitchcock ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Mental Health Literacy ◽

Elite Athletes ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Treatment ◽

Health Symptoms

ObjectiveTo summarise the literature on the barriers to athletes seeking mental health treatment and cultural influencers of mental health in elite athletes.DesignSystematic reviewData sourcesPubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, SportDiscus (Ebsco), and PsycINFO (ProQuest) up to November 2018.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesQualitative and quantitative original studies of elite athletes (those who competed at the professional, Olympic, or collegiate/university levels), published in any language.ResultsStigma, low mental health literacy, negative past experiences with mental health treatment-seeking, busy schedules, and hypermasculinity are barriers to elite athletes seeking mental health treatment. Cultural influencers of mental health in elite athletes include: (1) the lack of acceptance of women as athletes; (2) lower acceptability of mental health symptoms and disorders among non-white athletes; (3) non-disclosure of religious beliefs; and (4) higher dependence on economic benefits. Coaches have an important role in supporting elite athletes in obtaining treatment for mental illness. Brief anti-stigma interventions in elite athletes decrease stigma and improve literary about mental health.ConclusionThere is a need for various actors to provide more effective strategies to overcome the stigma that surrounds mental illness, increase mental health literacy in the athlete/coach community, and address athlete-specific barriers to seeking treatment for mental illness. In this systematic review, we identified strategies that, if implemented, can overcome the cultural factors that may otherwise limit athletes seeking treatment. Coaches are critical for promoting a culture within elite athletes’ environments that encourages athletes to seek treatment.

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Rates and Correlates of Mental Health Symptoms in Currently Competing Elite Athletes from the Australian National High-Performance Sports System

Sports Medicine ◽

10.1007/s40279-020-01266-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 50 (9) ◽

pp. 1683-1694 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Rosemary Purcell ◽

Simon Rice ◽

Matt Butterworth ◽

Matti Clements

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

High Performance ◽

Elite Athletes ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Symptoms

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Risk and protective factors for mental health in elite athletes: a scoping review

International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology ◽

10.1080/1750984x.2019.1689574 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 231-265 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

A. Kuettel ◽

C. H. Larsen

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Protective Factors ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Elite Athletes ◽

Risk And Protective Factors

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Effects of Physical Activity and Training Routine on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Curfew

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.624035 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Jelena Sokić ◽

Stanislava Popov ◽

Bojana M. Dinić ◽

Jovana Rastović

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Early Stage ◽

Elite Athletes ◽

Sports Participation ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Physically Active ◽

Recreational Athletes ◽

And Training

This research aimed to explore the effects of physical activity and training routine on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and the proclaimed emergency state and curfew. To measure the mental health components of psychological distress and subjective well-being, two studies were conducted on different samples: Study 1 during the beginning of curfew in Serbia (N = 678) and Study 2 during the ending phase (N = 398). The results of Study 1 showed that elite athletes as well as those with high level of physical activity experienced the lowest distress. Furthermore, effects of the changes in the training routine on distress among physically active individuals depended on the level of sports participation with elite athletes who reduced trainings showing lower anxiety compared to recreational athletes who reduced trainings as well or kept the same training routine. Thus, we could conclude that in the early stage of the pandemic, elite athletes showed better mental health and adaptability to the crisis situation. Results of Study 2 showed that although all the participants had decreased well-being during the curfew, compared to the period before the pandemic and the curfew, there were no differences in well-being between elite and recreational athletes, who had higher well-being compared to non-athletes. However, this effect held both before and during the curfew showing that physically active individuals did not additionally benefit from this decrease compared to the non-active. Furthermore, athletes who became physically inactive showed lower well-being compared to those who kept the same training routine. Thus, in the later stage of the pandemic, prolonged physical inactivity had negative effects on mental health.

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Validating a Japanese Version of the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire

Sports Medicine - Open ◽

10.1186/s40798-021-00385-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yasutaka Ojio ◽

Asami Matsunaga ◽

Shin Kawamura ◽

Masanori Horiguchi ◽

Goro Yoshitani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Factor Analysis ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Early Detection ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Elite Athletes ◽

Japanese Version ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Strain ◽

Confirmatory Factor

Abstract Background There is increasing international interest in clinical practice and research related to mental health in the international sports society. The athlete-specific psychological distress assessment tool that addresses potential mental health needs can help promote early detection and recovery of mental illness, as well as physical illnesses. Currently, little is known about the applicability of the useful assessment tool for Japanese elite athletes. The Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ) is a brief, effective and reliable screening tool to identify early signs of athlete-specific distress and potential mental health symptoms. We examined the applicability and reliability of a Japanese version of the APSQ (APSQ-J) in a Japanese elite athlete context. Further, we examined the construct validity of the APSQ-J. Methods We collected web-based anonymous self-report data from 219 currently competing Japanese professional male rugby players. A two-stage process was conducted to validate the factor structure of the APSQ-J using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) in a randomly partitioned calibration sample and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in a separate validation sample. Cronbach’s alpha is used to assess internal consistency. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were calculated to determine if the APSQ-J was significantly associated with measures of psychological distress and well-being using Kessler-6 (K6) and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index, respectively. Results We identified a one-factor structure for the APSQ-J. Confirmatory factor analysis supports this one-factor model, revealing good model fit indices. The standardized path coefficients for each of the items were β = 0.41–0.83 (p < 0.001). A Cronbach’s alpha of 0.84 was obtained for the APSQ-J. The APSQ-J demonstrated significant correlations with the K-6 (r = 0.80, p < 0.001) and WHO-5 (r = −0.58, p < 0.001). Conclusion The APSQ-J can be an appropriate and psychometrically robust measure for identifying athlete-specific distress in elite athletes in Japan. Widely disseminating and utilizing this scale in Japanese sports society may support athletes' mental health via early detection of symptoms of psychological distress.

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