Gulliver Amelia, Griffiths Kathleen M, Mackinnon Andrew, Batterham Philip J, Stanimirovic Rosanna
Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National University, Australia.
Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National University, Australia.
J Sci Med Sport. 2015 May;18(3):255-61. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2014.04.006. Epub 2014 Apr 29.
Currently, little is known about the prevalence of mental disorders in athletes. This study aims to investigate Australian elite athletes' symptoms of general psychological distress and common mental disorders.
A cross-sectional survey design was employed to assess self-reported symptom prevalence.
A total of 224 elite athletes (118 female, 106 male) from national sporting organisations in Australia were administered a self-report internet-based survey comprising measures of demographic status and mental health symptoms.
Overall, 46.4% of athletes were experiencing symptoms of at least one of the mental health problems assessed. Percentages meeting criteria for mental disorders were similar to previous epidemiological studies of both international athlete and community samples: depression (27.2%), eating disorder (22.8%), general psychological distress (16.5%), social anxiety (14.7%), generalised anxiety disorder (7.1%), and panic disorder (4.5%). Injured athletes had higher levels of both symptoms of depression (t=3.23, p=.001) and generalised anxiety disorder (t=2.26, p=.025).
The level of symptoms of mental health problems reported by elite athletes appears similar to that observed in the community. However, caution must be exercised in interpreting the findings, as possible demographic differences between athletes and comparison population datasets may exist. Furthermore, self-selection of respondents in the present study may have reduced the representativeness of the sample and the validity of the comparisons. Athletes, particularly those currently injured, should be well-supported to seek help for mental disorders through access to mental health professionals.
目前，关于运动员精神障碍的患病率所知甚少。本研究旨在调查澳大利亚精英运动员的一般心理困扰症状和常见精神障碍。
采用横断面调查设计来评估自我报告的症状患病率。
对来自澳大利亚国家体育组织的224名精英运动员（118名女性，106名男性）进行了一项基于网络的自我报告调查，该调查包括人口统计学状况和心理健康症状的测量。
总体而言，46.4%的运动员至少存在所评估的一种心理健康问题的症状。符合精神障碍标准的百分比与之前对国际运动员和社区样本的流行病学研究相似：抑郁症（27.2%）、饮食失调（22.8%）、一般心理困扰（16.5%）、社交焦虑（14.7%）、广泛性焦虑症（7.1%）和恐慌症（4.5%）。受伤运动员的抑郁症状（t = 3.23，p = 0.001）和广泛性焦虑症症状（t = 2.26，p = 0.025）水平更高。
精英运动员报告的心理健康问题症状水平似乎与社区中观察到的相似。然而，在解释研究结果时必须谨慎，因为运动员与对照人群数据集之间可能存在人口统计学差异。此外，本研究中受访者的自我选择可能降低了样本的代表性和比较的有效性。运动员，尤其是目前受伤的运动员，应获得充分支持，以便通过联系心理健康专业人员来寻求精神障碍方面的帮助。
