Gaining perspectives: A scoping review of research assessing depressive symptoms in athletes

Tahtinen, Richard; Shelley, James; Morris, Robert

doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.101905

Cited by 18 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Prevalence rates of mental disorders in athletes are debated in the literature, and numbers (e.g., symptoms of depression) vary heavily between studies, also due to the different screening instruments used (Golding, Gillingham, & Perera, 2020;Tahtinen, Shelley, & Morris, 2021). Several studies have investigated the prevalence of mental illness among soccer players in different countries and on different levels.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health Profiles of Danish Youth Soccer Players: The Influence of Gender and Career Development

Küettel

Durand‐Bush

Larsen

2022

Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology

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The purpose of this study was (a) to investigate gender differences in mental health among Danish youth soccer players, (b) to discover the mental health profiles of the players, and (c) to explore how career progression and mental health are related. A total of 239 Danish youth elite soccer players (M = 16.85, SD = 1.09) completed an online questionnaire assessing mental well-being, depression, anxiety, along with other background variables. Female players scored significantly lower on mental well-being and had four times higher odds of expressing symptoms of anxiety and depression than males. Athletes’ mental health profiles showed that most athletes experience low depression while having moderate mental well-being. Depression, anxiety, and stress scores generally increased when progressing in age, indicating that the junior–senior transition poses distinct challenges to players’ mental health, especially for female players. Different strategies to foster players’ mental health depending on their mental health profiles are proposed.

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confidence: 99%

Mental Health Profiles of Danish Youth Soccer Players: The Influence of Gender and Career Development

Küettel

Durand‐Bush

Larsen

2022

Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology

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“…The methodologies used to screen for mental health issues in athletes lack consistency ( Rao and Hong, 2016 ). Further, Tahtinen et al (2021) identified 28 different measures used across studies to assess depression in athletes. For example, Weigand et al (2013) employed the Wakefield Depression Scale, despite Kearns et al (1982) demonstrating its poor ability to screen for depression and suggesting that it should be abandoned in research.…”

Section: Research Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Sleep and Mental Health Issues in Current and Former Athletes: A Mini Review

et al. 2022

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Sleep and mental health are important aspects of human health that work concurrently. However, sleep and mental health disorders are often overlooked and undiagnosed in sport due to the negative stigma associated with them. Evidence suggests that athletes are disproportionately affected by mental health issues and sleep problems. Internal and external pressures contribute to psychological distress. Variable competition times, travel and stress are detrimental to sleep quality. Retirement from sport can deteriorate sleep and psychological wellbeing, particularly for those who retired involuntarily and identify strongly with their athletic role. When untreated, these issues can manifest into a range of clinical disorders. This is concerning, not only for compromised athletic performance, but for general health and wellbeing beyond sport. Previous research has focussed on sleep and health independently among currently competing, or former, athletes. To date, no research has comprehensively assessed and compared sleep complaints and mental health issues between these two cohorts. Moreover, research has failed to obtain data across a variety of different competition levels, sports, and genders, leaving the current scope of the literature narrow. Comorbid conditions (e.g., concussion history, obesity), ex-college athletes, and mental health has been the focus of existing literature post-retirement. Future research would benefit from employing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to comprehensively assess the prevalence and severity of sleep and mental health disorders across current and retired athletes. Research outcomes would inform education strategies, safeguarding athletes from these issues by reducing negative stigmas associated with help-seeking in sport and ultimately increase self-guided treatment.

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“…Although trait or habitual rumination remains relatively stable over time, like other cognitive vulnerabilities, depressive rumination is amenable to change through therapy or interventions (Ingram et al, 2006). Recently, sport psychology scholars have underlined the need for more research on cognitive vulnerability in elite athletes to develop more targeted prevention and intervention within this population (Elbe & Jensen, 2016;Nixdorf et al, 2016Nixdorf et al, , 2020Tahtinen et al, 2021). As shown in a study by Donohue et al (2018) treatment or prevention approaches designed to target performance and mental health outcomes may be highly appealing to athletes, potentially leading to higher engagement in the program.…”

Section: Relevance Of Depressive Rumination In Elite Athletesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…

To-date, depression-related research in athletes has remained largely at a descriptive level (Nixdorf et al, 2020), describing overall prevalence rates and stressors that correlate with depressive symptoms in athletes (Tahtinen et al, 2021; Wolanin et al 2015). While previous findings have provided important information concerning stressors that may be especially relevant in athletes (i.e., sport-specific) -current empirical knowledge concerning depressive symptoms in athletes is mostly based on cross-sectional findings (Golding et al, 2020;Tahtinen et al, 2021) and has lacked theoretically informed approaches to understanding depressive symptoms in this population (Nixdorf et al, 2020;Tahtinen et al, 2021). Therefore, there is currently little empirical evidence that explains how stressors or increased perception of stress over time may contribute to more severe depressive symptomatology in some athletes, while others seem less affected.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Depressive symptoms in Icelandic elite athletes: A prospective examination through the lens of the response styles theory

Tahtinen

Kristjánsdóttir

Þorgeirsson

et al. 2021

Psychology of Sport and Exercise

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Gaining perspectives: A scoping review of research assessing depressive symptoms in athletes

Cited by 18 publications

References 75 publications

Mental Health Profiles of Danish Youth Soccer Players: The Influence of Gender and Career Development

Mental Health Profiles of Danish Youth Soccer Players: The Influence of Gender and Career Development

Sleep and Mental Health Issues in Current and Former Athletes: A Mini Review

Depressive symptoms in Icelandic elite athletes: A prospective examination through the lens of the response styles theory

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