History of opioid use as a risk factor for current use and mental health consequences among retired National Football League athletes: A 9-year follow-up investigation

Mannes, Zachary L.; Dunne, Eugene M.; Ferguson, Erin; Cottler, Linda B.; Ennis, Nicole

doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108251

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(42 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Similar patterns have been described in retired NFL athletes who reported misuse of prescription opioids to reduce pain, stress, and anxiety [83]. A study by Mannes et al [84] reported that among NFL retirees, opioid use that occurred early in retirement predicted not only current use but substantial effects on mental health including moderate-severe depression symptoms nine-years post-retirement. Importantly, a history of concussion can be predictive of increased substance use, especially when combined with mental health challenges [85].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Substance availability, use, and misuse in ex-professional ice hockey enforcers

Gaetz

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Some ex-professional ice hockey enforcers have experienced negative outcomes following their careers. The purpose of this study was to determine whether athletes who had this role were negatively impacted by substance use and misuse during and/or following their careers. It was hypothesised that given their role in the sport, significant exposure to concussive injury occurred leading to a substantial number of challenges including high levels of post-career substance use. Methods: This study also utilises a mixed methods quantitative and qualitative approach with one-on-one semi-structured interviews with questions related to substance use/abuse. Results: This hypothesis for this study was not supported. Participants in this study reported low levels of substance use post-career. Patterns of substance use during career varied by era with a change in use from alcohol and over-the-counter stimulants to opioids, sleep aids, and AAS estimated to occur near the mid to late 1990s. Alcohol misuse was reported by four participants at some point during their careers. Stimulant use was prevalent in the sport pre-mid 1990s. The use of prescription opioid pain medication and sleep aids was reportedly rare before the mid to late 1990s but eventually became easily attainable via team medical staff and prescription sharing. Two participants from the later era also reported the use of AAS.Discussion: It has been revealed that this sample of ex-professional hockey enforcers experienced a significant number of concussions, continue to have challenges with chronic pain, and were exposed to several unique stressors during their careers, the effects of which may have varied based upon how the role was viewed. The combination of these factors may have led to increased substance use in some of these athletes during their careers.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Substance availability, use, and misuse in ex-professional ice hockey enforcers

Gaetz

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…5,17 Low pain self-efficacy, or the confidence to effectively manage pain, has also been shown to be lower among chronic pain patients co-using opioids and sedatives. 17 Similar observations have been made among NFL retirees using opioids, 5 and retirees who co-used in this sample may be particularly susceptible to self-medicate their medical and psychiatric symptoms due to low confidence that nonpharmacological treatments will alleviate their symptoms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…35 However, the NFL has yet to enact formal policies aimed at mitigating the risks of prescription benzodiazepines or nonbenzodiazepine sedatives, which is particularly problematic given the increasing national rates of sedative-hypnotic medication prescriptions 36,37 and the use of prescription opioids among its current and former players. 5 Several lay press publications share anecdotal reports of NFL athletes who discuss the use of prescription sedative/hypnotics during an NFL career [38][39][40][41][42] and continued use in retirement. 38,39 However, empirical studies examining sedative use among former NFL athletes are sparse and have used data collected before issue of the CDC and FDA warnings against co-prescribing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Co-Use of Opioids and Sedatives Among Retired National Football League Athletes

Mannes

Hasin

Abdallah

et al. 2021

Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: Among the general population, co-use of opioids and sedatives is associated with greater risk of overdose compared with opioid use alone. National Football League (NFL) retirees experience higher rates of opioid use than the general population, although little is known about their co-use with sedatives. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and risk factors of opioid and sedative co-use among NFL retirees. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Professional American football. Participants: NFL retirees (N 5 644). Independent Variables: Self-reported concussions, pain intensity, heavy alcohol use, physical and mental health impairment, disability status. Main Outcome Measure: Any past 30-day co-use of opioids and sedatives. Results: Approximately 4.9% of the sample reported past 30-day co-use of opioids and sedatives, although nearly 30% of retirees using opioids also used sedatives. Greater pain was associated with co-use of opioids and sedatives (adjusted odds ratios [aOR] 5 1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI] 5 1.23-1.98), although retirees with moderate/severe mental health impairment (vs none/mild; aOR 5 2.47; 95% CI 5 1.04-5.91) and disability (vs no disability; aOR 5 1.35; 95% CI 5 1.05-1.73) demonstrated greater odds of co-use compared with retirees not using either substance. Conclusions: Given the high rate of sedative use among participants also using opioids, NFL retirees may be susceptible to the negative health consequences associated with couse. Interventions focused on improving pain and mental health may be especially effective for reducing co-use of these substances among NFL retirees.

show abstract

“…A personal history of multiple concussions has been associated with increased risk for later-in-life depression, or symptoms of depression, in former National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) players (26) and retired NFL players (27)(28)(29)(30)(31). Survey studies reveal that some retired NFL players experience symptoms of depression (27), and these symptoms have been associated with chronic pain (32), pain catastrophizing (33), current opioid use (34), decline in physical functioning (27), and insufficient sleep (28). However, retired NFL players are at lower risk for suicide, not greater risk, than men from the general population (25,35,36).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High School Football and Risk for Depression and Suicidality in Adulthood: Findings From a National Longitudinal Study

Iverson

Terry

2022

Front. Neurol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThere is growing public concern regarding the potential long-term effects of playing football on brain health, specifically that playing football before and during high school might cause damage to the brain that manifests years or decades later as depression or suicidality. This study examined if playing high school football was associated with increased lifetime risk for depression, suicidality over the past year, or depressed mood in the past week in men aged between their middle 30 s to early 40 s.MethodsPublicly available data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health were analyzed. This longitudinal, prospective cohort study sampled nationally representative U.S. youth starting in 1994–1995 (Wave I) and most recently in 2016–2018 (Wave V). A total of 3,147 boys participated in Wave I (median age = 15), of whom 1,805 were re-assessed during Wave V (median age = 38).ResultsOf the 1,762 men included in the study, 307 (17.4%) men reported being diagnosed with depression and 275 (15.6%) reported being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or panic disorder at some point in their life. When comparing men who played high school football to those who did not, there were no differences in the proportions of the sample who had a lifetime diagnosis of depression, lifetime diagnosis of anxiety/panic disorders, suicidal ideation in the past year, psychological counseling in the past year, or current depressed mood. However, men who received psychological counseling and/or experienced suicidal ideation during adolescence were significantly more likely to report a lifetime history of depression, suicidal ideation in the past year, and current depressed mood.ConclusionIndividuals who reported playing football during adolescence did not have an increased risk of depression or suicidal ideation when they were in their middle 30 s to early 40 s, but mental health problems during adolescence were associated with an increased risk for psychological health difficulties more than 20 years later.

show abstract

History of opioid use as a risk factor for current use and mental health consequences among retired National Football League athletes: A 9-year follow-up investigation

Cited by 10 publications

References 42 publications

Substance availability, use, and misuse in ex-professional ice hockey enforcers

Substance availability, use, and misuse in ex-professional ice hockey enforcers

Co-Use of Opioids and Sedatives Among Retired National Football League Athletes

High School Football and Risk for Depression and Suicidality in Adulthood: Findings From a National Longitudinal Study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About