Elite lean athletes at sports high schools face multiple risks for mental health concerns and are in need of psychosocial support

Lundqvist, Carolina; Schary, David P.; Eklöf, Emelie; Zand, Sofia; Jacobsson, Jenny

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0284725

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…36 This life period also coincides with the age for junior-to-senior transition in sports, which can add additional sports-related stressors on adolescent athletes. 16 In this study we found direct relationships between sleeping problems/fatigue, perceived pressure/activation and indicators of poor general mental health, with higher scores reported in older age groups. The results suggest that societal changes and general stressors in everyday life affect adolescent athletes, such as the general population.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 47%

“…Emerging evidence shows that participation in organised sports can protect adolescents’ mental health and help develop positive health behaviours. 16 17 Panza et al 18 observed a weak yet significant negative association between sports involvement and self-reported anxiety and depression among athletes aged 10–20. Likewise, Rodriguez-Ayllon et al 19 found a weak but significant relationship between physical activity and positive mental health among adolescents but no significant relationship for children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, attention in research is needed to explore potential mediating psychosocial variables in the relationship between organised sports and athletes’ mental health. 16 The first objective of this study was, therefore, to describe lifestyle factors (sleeping problems/fatigue, pressure/activation), one sports environmental factor (perceived coach autonomy support) and indicators of mental health (well-being and poor general mental health) across age categories of athletes (children ≤12 years, youths 13–15 years, junior to senior ≥16 years) and sports (basketball and gymnastics). Second, we aimed to explore the pathway through which lifestyle factors relate to mental health indicators, hypothesising that the association would be mediated by perceived coach autonomy support.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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General lifestyle factors explain young athletes’ mental health more than perceived coach autonomy support: a cross-sectional study on basketball players and gymnasts aged 10–22

Lundqvist,

Asratian,

Dahlström

2023

BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med

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ObjectivesThis study described differences in lifestyle factors (sleeping problems/fatigue, pressure/activation), perceived coach autonomy support and indicators of mental health (well-being and poor general mental health) across various age groups (children ≤12 years, youths 13–15 years, junior to senior ≥16 years) and sports (basketball and gymnastics). Second, the relationships between lifestyle factors and mental health indicators were explored, hypothesising that the relationships would be mediated by perceived coach autonomy support.MethodsA cross-sectional study design was implemented by using an online survey which assessed lifestyle and environmental factors as well as mental health indicators. Participants were recruited through sports clubs in basketball and gymnastics. A total of 209 athletes (77 basketball players and 132 gymnasts) in the age range of 10–22 (median=13) years volunteered to complete the survey.ResultsSeparate two-way analyses of variance showed significant main effects for age group on sleeping problems/fatigue, sleep quantity, pressure/activation, well-being and poor general mental health, with higher scores reported for older age groups of athletes. Path analysis displayed sleeping problems/fatigue and pressure/activation to significantly affect decreased well-being and poor general mental health; however, the relationships were not mediated by perceived coach autonomy support.ConclusionLifestyle factors play a prominent role in mental health outcomes. Researchers studying athlete mental health should consider both general lifestyle and sports-related factors, considering developmental phases in the young athlete’s sporting context and overall life.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 47%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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General lifestyle factors explain young athletes’ mental health more than perceived coach autonomy support: a cross-sectional study on basketball players and gymnasts aged 10–22

Lundqvist,

Asratian,

Dahlström

2023

BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med

Self Cite

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“…Interestingly, elite athletes, who had better access to support, demonstrated a notably higher resilience to disruptions caused by the pandemic [ 46 ]. From the psychosocial perspective, athletes’ mental health is affected by social support, psychological safety, communication, and self-behaviors [ 47 ]; thus, the involvement of family members (i.e., parents and siblings), coaches, teammates, may play a substantial role in regulating or reducing stress [ 47 ]. Likewise, keeping athletes informed about available psychological-related services (screening, consultation, etc.)…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supporting athletes during a challenging situation: recommendations from a global insight of COVID-19 home-based training experience

Washif,

Hettinga,

Ammar

et al. 2024

BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil

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Background For athletes, overcoming obstacles in challenging situations like pandemic home training is crucial. Strategies and approaches in this context are not well-documented. Our study aims to investigate such a scenario from a performance standpoint, based on a major global crisis: the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. Methods This cross-sectional study surveyed athletes without disabilities using online questionnaires (35 languages) from May to July 2020. Questions included aspects of alternative routines, training monitoring, recovery, sleep patterns, injury occurrence/prevention based on structured answers, and an open-ended question on lockdown training experiences. Results Of the 11,762 athletes from 142 countries, 63% were male, including at World-Class, International, National, State and Recreational levels. During lockdown, 25% athletes used innovative or modern ways to maintain or improve fitness e.g., virtual reality and tracking devices (favoring World-Class level, 30%). Many athletes, regardless of gender (43%) watched video competitions to improve/maintain their mental skills and performance [World-Class (47%) and International (51%)]. Contact frequency between athletes and their coaches was mainly at least once a week (36%), more among higher-level (World-Class/International) than lower-level athletes (27 vs. 16%). Higher-level athletes (≥ 54%) monitored training load and were assisted by their coaches (21%). During lockdown, stretching (67%) was considered one of the primary means of recovery, especially for higher-level athletes (> 70%). Compared to pre-lockdown, about two-thirds of athletes reported “normal” or “improved” sleep quality and quantity, suggesting a low sleep quality pre-lockdown. On average, 40% utilized injury prevention exercises (at least) once a week [World-Class (51%) and International (39%)]. Most injury occurrences during lockdown involved the knee (18%), ankle (16%), and back (9%). Four key themes emerged regarding lockdown experiences: remote training adaptation (e.g., shifting training focus), training creativity (e.g., using household items), performance enhancement opportunities (e.g., refocusing neglected aspects), and mental and motivation challenges. Conclusions Both male and female athletes, particularly those of higher levels, displayed some adaptalibity during the COVID-19 lockdown, employing innovative approaches and technology for training. Many athletes implemented load monitoring, recovery, and attentive of injury prevention, while optimizing their sleep quality and quantity. Athletes demonstrated their abilities to navigate challenges, and utilized different coping strategies in response to the lockdown’s constraints.

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Age‐varying associations of parent‐adolescent relationship and school connectedness with adolescent self‐compassion: Differences by gender

Peng,

Xia,

Chi

2024

Journal of Adolescence

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IntroductionParent‐adolescent relationships and school connectedness are critical promotive factors for adolescent self‐compassion. However, little is known about how the magnitude of the associations between these protective factors and self‐compassion changes across continuous age groups and whether gender differences exist in the age‐varying associations. This study aims to investigate (1) the age‐varying associations of parent‐adolescent relationships and school connectedness with self‐compassion using time‐varying effect modeling and (2) how their age‐varying associations may differ by gender.MethodsA total of 14,776 adolescents aged 10–18 (mean age = 13.53 ± 2.08, 52.3% males) from Shenzhen, China participated in this study. All adolescents completed the online questionnaires in the school computer rooms.ResultsThe results showed that both parent‐adolescent relationships and school connectedness were positively associated with adolescent self‐compassion, and the magnitudes fluctuated with age. Specifically, the association between parent‐adolescent relationships and self‐compassion peaked for adolescents in early adolescence, with the key timing for girls (age group of 10 years old) being slightly earlier than boys (age group of 11 years old). The association between school connectedness and self‐compassion was stronger for boys in the early years of adolescence (in the age group of 12.7 years), while stronger for girls during middle adolescence (in the age group of 14.0 years). Overall, girls were more sensitive to connections with parents and schools than boys during most age groups.ConclusionsThe findings demonstrated differential key timing for boys and girls regarding family‐ and school‐based intervention to cultivate self‐compassion and highlighted the importance of maintaining strong connections with families and schools for cultivating adolescent self‐compassion, particularly for girls.

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Elite lean athletes at sports high schools face multiple risks for mental health concerns and are in need of psychosocial support

Cited by 9 publications

References 54 publications

General lifestyle factors explain young athletes’ mental health more than perceived coach autonomy support: a cross-sectional study on basketball players and gymnasts aged 10–22

General lifestyle factors explain young athletes’ mental health more than perceived coach autonomy support: a cross-sectional study on basketball players and gymnasts aged 10–22

Supporting athletes during a challenging situation: recommendations from a global insight of COVID-19 home-based training experience

Age‐varying associations of parent‐adolescent relationship and school connectedness with adolescent self‐compassion: Differences by gender

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