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Meta-Analysis
. 2019 Jun;53(11):700-706.
doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2019-100671.

Occurrence of mental health symptoms and disorders in current and former elite athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Vincent Gouttebarge  1   2 , João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia  3   4 , Paul Gorczynski  5 , Brian Hainline  6 , Mary E Hitchcock  7 , Gino M Kerkhoffs  8   2   9 , Simon M Rice  10   11 , Claudia L Reardon  12   13
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Occurrence of mental health symptoms and disorders in current and former elite athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Vincent Gouttebarge et al. Br J Sports Med. 2019 Jun.

Abstract

Objectives: To present an overview of the existing epidemiological evidence regarding the occurrence of mental health symptoms and disorders among current and former elite athletes.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data sources: Five electronic databases were searched from inception to November 2018: PubMed (MEDLINE), SportDiscus via EBSCO, PSycINFO via ProQuest, Scopus and Cochrane.

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: We included original quantitative studies that were written in English, were conducted exclusively among current or former elite athletes, and presented incidence or prevalence rates of symptoms of mental disorders.

Results: Twenty-two relevant original studies about mental health symptoms and disorders among current elite athletes were included: they presented data especially on symptoms of distress, sleep disturbance, anxiety/depression and alcohol misuse. Meta-analyses comprising 2895 to 5555 current elite athletes showed that the prevalence of mental health symptoms and disorders ranged from 19% for alcohol misuse to 34% for anxiety/depression. Fifteen relevant original studies about mental health symptoms and disorders among former elite athletes were included: they similarly presented data especially about symptoms of distress, sleep disturbance, anxiety/depression and alcohol misuse. Meta-analyses comprising 1579 to 1686 former elite athletes showed that the prevalence of mental health symptoms and disorders ranged from 16% for distress to 26% for anxiety/depression.

Conclusions: Our meta-analyses showed that the prevalence of mental health symptoms and disorders ranged from 19% for alcohol misuse to 34% for anxiety/depression for current elite athletes, and from 16% for distress to 26% for anxiety/depression for former elite athletes.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; mental; sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the search procedure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analyses and pooled estimates for current elite athletes. 2A: symptoms of distress; 2B: symptoms of sleep disturbance; 2C: symptoms of anxiety/depression; 2D: symptoms of alcohol misuse.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Meta-analyses and pooled estimates for former elite athletes 3A: symptoms of distress; 3B: symptoms of sleep disturbance; 3C: symptoms of anxiety/depression; 3D: symptoms of alcohol misuse.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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