Anxiety, insomnia, and depression during COVID-19 lockdown in elite individual and team sport athletes

Abstract

Purpose Pandemic-induced lockdowns disrupted sport training and competition. We aimed to identify the impact on the mental health of high-level athletes and clarify whether the effects differ for team-based and individual athletes. Methods This cross-sectional survey, stratified by sex and sport type, collected demographic data and mental health measurements from 274 Brazilian high-performance athletes (142 from team sports and 132 from individual sports) involved with the Brazilian Olympic Committee program for the Tokyo Olympics 2021. Depression, disturbed sleep, and anxiety were assessed by the 9-Item Patient Health Questionnaire, 7-Item Insomnia Severity Index, and 7-Item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale respectively. Responses were analyzed dichotomously according to published threshold values, characterizing the relative frequency distribution of prevalence (PCRS) or non-prevalence of clinically relevant symptoms (NPCRS). Results Out of all participants, 47 [17.1%], Z(274) = 15.38, p = .001, 32 [11.7%], Z(274) = 17.94, p = .001, and 49 [17.9%], Z(274) = 15.04, p = .001 had PCRS of anxiety, insomnia, and depression, respectively. There were no significant differences in the PCRS among genders. Compared with individual sport athletes, team sport athletes were more likely to report PCRS of insomnia (12 [37.5%] vs 20 [62.5%], Z(274) = −2.00, p = .046), and depression (18 [36.7%] vs 31 [63.3%], Z(274) = −2.63, p = .009) but not for anxiety. Conclusion Athletes reported high levels of mental health problems during the lockdown. Team sport athletes reported worse symptoms of insomnia and depression than individual sport athletes, possibly due to the impact of unaccustomed social isolation and lack of social team activity. Therefore, it becomes relevant to consider psychological support to team sport athletes who for some reason, such as a pandemic, enduring crisis even injury rehabilitation needs to be isolated.

Depression Related to COVID-19, Coping, and Hopelessness in Sports Students

“…Individual athletes’ ability to experience positive emotions through the reappraisal of stressful situations can fight negative behavior in their case. However, according to Salles et al [ 37 ], the personality traits and the genetic predispositions of the athletes are also important.…”

“…According to the type of sport practiced, athletes reported different mental health issues during the lockdown. Team athletes reported more insomnia and depression symptoms than individual sport athletes, possibly as a result of new and unfamiliar social isolation and a lack of social team activity [ 36 , 37 ]. Individual athletes are more likely to develop psychological problems in typical conditions because performing well in individual sports requires a higher level of internal attribution and no opportunity to share responsibility with teammates [ 38 ].…”

Augmented-reality-based multi-person exercise has more beneficial effects on mood state and oxytocin secretion than standard solitary exercise

“…The prevalence of mental disorders has been on the rise in recent decades (ten Have et al, 2023), with children and young adults under 24 years of age being particularly affected by the adverse mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (Kauhanen et al, 2023). While team sport athletes typically exhibit lower levels of anxiety and depression compared to individual sport athletes (Pluhar et al, 2019), the mental well-being of team sport athletes is susceptible to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the lack of social team activities (Salles et al, 2022). Consequently, exercise modalities resembling team sports that can be practiced under any environmental condition, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, are deemed crucial for sustaining and improving human mental health.…”

Effect of yoga and mindfulness on psychological correlates in young athletes: A meta-analysis

“…Data from the American College of Sports Medicine indicates that nearly 35% of elite athletes suffer from psychological issues (disordered eating, burnout, depression, or anxiety) [ 3 ]. Previous studies reported that almost 17.2%–31% of student-athletes had moderate to severe symptoms of stress and anxiety [ 4 , 5 ]. Another study in Canada noticed the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in athletes by 37.9% and 24.9% of the participants, respectively [ 6 ].…”