Elite Sport and Sustainable Psychological Well-Being

Borjana Kremžar Jovanović,Rok Holnthaner,Maja Smrdu,Tanja Kajtna

doi:10.3390/su14052705

Borjana Kremžar Jovanović, Rok Holnthaner + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052705

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Abstract

There is conflicting evidence that sport plays a protective role in the development of psychopathological disorders and contributes to the sustainability of mental health. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of mental disorders among elite Slovenian athletes. We were interested in the prevalence of depression, anxiety, suicide risk, substance abuse, and eating disorders among athletes of both sexes and among athletes of individual and team sports aged 18 years or older. A total of 97 elite athletes participated in the study. We used PAI and EDI-3 questionnaires, and the study also included a control group of 90 non-athletes, matched in gender and age to the target group of elite athletes. Testing was conducted in 2020 and 2021. The comparison between elite athletes and the normative group showed a similar expression of depressive and anxious symptomatology. The athletes have a more pronounced drive for thinness and are more expansive, self-confident, and confident of their abilities compared to the control group. A total of 14% of the athletes show self-confidence to the point of self-grandiosity. Male athletes are more likely to use alcohol and other psychoactive substances and are also more impulsive and risk-taking, while female athletes are at higher risk of developing eating disorders. The study suggests that the prevalence of mental disorders in elite athletes is as high as in the general population. There is an urgent need to sustainably ensure the psychological well-being of athletes.

Highlights

It is well known that moderate and vigorous exercise is highly beneficial for mental health, but the area of psychopathology in sport is much less addressed [1,2]
There is often a belief among the public that the prevalence of mental disorders among elite athletes is low. This may be due to an over-idealization of elite athletes or the assumption that only mentally strong people can be successful athletes, which in turn implies that there should be no place for people with mental health problems among elite athletes [1,2]
The comparison of the results of the Slovenian athletes with those of the norm group shows a similar expression of depressive symptomatology, confirming the hypothesis formulated on the basis of the review of previous studies [1,6,7]

Summary

Introduction

It is well known that moderate and vigorous exercise is highly beneficial for mental health, but the area of psychopathology in sport is much less addressed [1,2]. There is often a belief among the public (and professionals) that the prevalence of mental disorders among elite athletes is low. The International Olympic Committee has issued a consensus statement [4], outlining what disorders have been identified in athletes and making several suggestions on how to deal with them. This statement is primarily a message that we should pay a lot of attention to the mental health of athletes if we want sport to be a safe environment in which they can reach their full potential. They point out that there are many barriers to reporting mental health issues, such as stereotypes and lack of support systems—the need for this has been emphasized in other studies [5]

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