The prevalence and risk indicators of symptoms of common mental disorders among current and former Dutch elite athletes |
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| Authors: | Vincent Gouttebarge Ruud Jonkers Maarten Moen Evert Verhagen Paul Wylleman Gino Kerkhoffs |
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| Institution: | 1. Academic Center for Evidence based Sports Medicine (ACES), Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;3. Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine (ESSM), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa;4. DWJ Partners, Uithoorn, The Netherlands;5. Elite Sports Department, Nederlands Olympisch Comité en Nederlandse Sport Federatie (NOC*NSF), Arnhem, The Netherlands;6. The Sportsphysician Group, Onze Lieve Vrouw Gasthuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;7. Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine (ESSM), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa;8. Department of Public &9. Occupational Health and EMGO+ Institute, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;10. Amsterdam Collaboration for Health &11. Safety in Sports (ACHSS), IOC Research Center, Academic Medical Center/VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;12. Australian Centre for Research into Injury in Sport and its Prevention (ACRISP), Federation University Australia, Ballarat, Australia;13. Department of Sports Policy and Management, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium |
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| Abstract: | The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and comorbidity of symptoms of common mental disorders (distress, anxiety/depression, sleep disturbance, eating disorders, adverse alcohol use) among current and former Dutch elite athletes, and to explore the inference between potential risk indicators (severe injury, surgery, life events, sport career dissatisfaction, social support) and the outcomes measures under investigation. Cross-sectional analyses were conducted on baseline questionnaires from an ongoing prospective cohort study among 203 current and 282 former elite Dutch athletes (response rate: 28% among current athletes and 95% among former athletes). Based on validated scales, an electronic questionnaire was set up and distributed. Prevalence (4-week) ranged from 6% for adverse alcohol use to 45% for anxiety/depression among current elite athletes, and from 18% for distress to 29% for anxiety/depression among former elite athletes. A higher number of past severe injuries, higher number of past surgeries, higher number of recent life events, higher level of career dissatisfaction and lower level of social support were related to the occurrence of symptoms of common mental disorders among both current and former elite athletes. On average, the 4-week prevalence of common mental disorders as shown in our study among current and former Dutch elite athletes were similar to the ones found among athletes from other sports disciplines and does compare with the lifetime prevalence estimates in the general population of the Netherlands. |
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| Keywords: | Sports mental disorders epidemiology athletes |
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