What is the Prevalence of General Anxiety Disorder and Depression Symptoms in Semi-elite Australian Football Players: A Cross-Sectional Study

Sports Medicine - Open

Original Research Article

Sarah Ann Harris¹  Jonathon Charlesworth²  Anthony Henderson³  Myles Calder Murphy⁴  Troy Kirkham⁵ 

[1] Institute for Health Research, The University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, WA, Australia;Sportsmed Glengarry, Duncraig, WA, Australia;Sportsmed Subiaco, St John of God Healthcare, Subiaco, WA, Australia;Sportsmed Subiaco, St John of God Healthcare, Subiaco, WA, Australia;Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia;School of Health Sciences and Physiotherapy, The University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, WA, Australia;The West Australian Football Commission, Perth, WA, Australia;

关键词: Mental health;    Concussion;    Epidemiology;    AFL;    Athlete;    Wellbeing;    Women’s sport;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40798-023-00587-3

 received in 2023-02-16, accepted in 2023-05-23,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in semi-elite Australian footballers is unknown. The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and depressive symptoms in semi-elite Australian Football players. Our secondary objective was to explore the association between demographic and football-specific factors with GAD and depressive symptoms. A cross-sectional epidemiological study including 369 semi-elite Western Australian Football League (WAFL) players from the Men and Women’s 2022 season (n = 337 men, 91%) was conducted. Symptoms of depression were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scale (PHQ-9) and symptoms of GAD with the GAD-7 scale.ResultsOur response rate was 82.9%. Thirteen players had missing data. The prevalence of GAD symptoms was 8.5% in men and 28.6% in women (10% overall). The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 20% in men and 57% in women (23% overall). Being a woman (gender) was associated with a sevenfold increased risk of GAD and/or depression symptoms [odds ratio (OR): 7.33, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.18–16.92; p < 0.001]. Players of ‘Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander’ ethnicity were two times more likely to report GAD and/or depression symptoms in comparison to players of ‘Australian’ ethnicity (OR: 2.13; 95% CI: 1.01–4.49; p = 0.048). Concussion history was not a significant risk factor for GAD or depression symptoms.ConclusionThis study demonstrated that approximately 1 in 10 WAFL players met the diagnostic cut-off criteria for probable GAD, and 1 in 5 for probable depression. The prevalence for depression symptoms in this study were far higher than the national average in the comparative age bracket. WAFL women’s players also reported a substantially higher prevalence of GAD and depressive symptoms than men, and should be further investigated as a priority by the WAFL.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

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