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Background There is a recognition of psychological sequelae from different types of media interaction, but an initial database search indicates that there has been no synthesis of these bodies of work. With rapidly evolving media types and usage, and a rightful increase in attention on athlete and staff welfare, a review and summary of current work would help to identify common themes, risk factors and potential actions for individuals and sports organisations. Objective To assess and summarise the current evidence on the mental health impact of the media on athletes and support staff working in elite and professional sports. Setting Publications written in English and that meet the search/keyword criteria were considered, considering the PCC framework. Design Identification of suitable publications occurred through an electronic search of PubMed, The Cochrane Library and Google Scholar. There were no limits placed on the publication period but with preference for contemporary work. Intervention To summarise existing research, organised thematically following a systematic process to limit subjectivity and reduce error. Results Thirteen themes were identified and explored; social media and mental health; gaming, social media and addiction; media framing; positive uses of social media in mental health; athlete/staff use of social media for medical information; media representation of mental health problems; Covid-19 isolation, sport and media; sleep and social media; shame, public shaming and online abuse in sport; gender, the media and sport; para-athletes experience of the media; media reporting of child sex abuse in sport; sports media, public health and governance of organisations Conclusions The media has a complex and multifaceted impact on the mental health of elite athletes and staff. Sport-specific research is lacking in this area and should be a focus for future work. Recommendations include developing and implementing social media screening for athletes as part of existing tool kits.
Carrie McCrea (Fri,) studied this question.