Abstract
To present time, scientific knowledge about symptoms of common mental disorders and adverse health behaviours among professional soccer players is lacking. Consequently, the aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of symptoms of common mental disorders (distress, anxiety/depression, sleep disturbance) and adverse health behaviours (adverse alcohol behaviour, smoking, adverse nutrition behaviour) among professional soccer players, and to explore their associations with potential stressors (severe injury, surgery, life events and career dissatisfaction). Cross-sectional analyses were conducted on baseline questionnaires from an ongoing prospective cohort study among male professional players. Using validated questionnaires to assess symptoms of common mental disorders and adverse health behaviours as well as stressors, an electronic questionnaire was set up and distributed by players’ unions in 11 countries from three continents. Prevalence of symptoms of common mental disorders and adverse health behaviours among professional soccer players ranged from 4% for smoking and 9% for adverse alcohol behaviour to 38% for anxiety/depression and 58% for adverse nutrition behaviour. Significant associations were found for a higher number of severe injuries with distress, anxiety/depression, sleeping disturbance and adverse alcohol behaviour, an increased number of life events with distress, sleeping disturbance, adverse alcohol behaviour and smoking, as well as an elevated level of career dissatisfaction with distress, anxiety/depression and adverse nutrition behaviour. Statistically significant correlations (p<0.01) were found for severe injuries and career dissatisfaction with most symptoms of common mental disorders. High prevalence of symptoms of common mental disorders and adverse health behaviours was found among professional players, confirming a previous pilot-study in a similar study population.
Highlights
In the particular occupational category that is professional soccer, the overall level of injury in players has been shown to be around 1000 times higher than for other industrial occupations generally regarded as high-risk (Hawkins and Fuller, 1999)
As 54 questionnaires were excluded from the analysis as they were insufficiently completed, 607 professional players were involved in the analyses
Prevalence of symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) and adverse health behaviours among professional soccer players ranged from 4% for smoking and 9% for adverse alcohol behaviour to 38% for anxiety/depression and 58% for adverse nutrition behaviour
Summary
In the particular occupational category that is professional soccer, the overall level of injury in players has been shown to be around 1000 times higher than for other industrial occupations generally regarded as high-risk (Hawkins and Fuller, 1999). Professional soccer players are highly at risk for acute, recurrent and severe injuries during their career, severe injuries leading to both surgeries and long periods without training or competition (Aoki et al, 2012; Chen et al, 2005; Ekstrand at al., 2011; Gouttebarge et al, 2015b). - Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. - Academic Center for Evidence based Sports medicine (ACES), Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. - Amsterdam Collaboration for Health & Safety in Sports (ACHSS), Academic Medical Center / VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. - St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan Authors submitted their contribution to the article to the editorial board. Accepted for printing in the Journal of Human Kinetics vol 49/2015 in December 2015
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