Key result
Former elite athlete status linked to ~160% higher depression prevalence versus the general population.
Why the study?
The prevalence of anxiety and depression in former elite athletes compared with the general population was not well summarized.
Is the prevalence of anxiety and depression higher in former elite athletes compared to the general population?
Meta-Analysis (n=24,732)
Is the prevalence of anxiety and depression higher in former elite athletes compared to the general population?
Former elite athletes have a significantly higher prevalence of anxiety and depression compared to the general population, with sport-specific variations.
Objectives: To summarise the evidence regarding the prevalence of anxiety and depression in former elite athletes compared with the general population. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.CRD42022347359. Data sources: Five electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus and SPORTDiscus) were searched from 1970 to 2023. Eligibility criteria: population reference values; (4) reported the time-point prevalence of anxiety and/or depression; and (5) were of a retrospective, longitudinal or prospective, methodological design. A modified version of the Downs and Black tool was used to determine risk of bias. Results: 37 unique studies including 24 732 former athletes (2% female) were included in the meta-analysis. The time-point prevalence of anxiety (prevalence ratio (PR): 2.08 (95% CI 1.57 to 2.60)) and depression (PR: 2.58 (95% CI 2.04 to 3.12)) in former athletes was over twice that of the general population. Subgroup analyses revealed former American football players and jockeys had the highest time-point prevalence of both anxiety and depression (PR: 2.24-2.88), whereas the time-point prevalence of depression and anxiety was not significantly different to the general population for former rugby players (PR: 1.13-1.30). Conclusion: Our meta-analyses demonstrated the time-point prevalence of anxiety and depression in former elite athletes could be over twice that of the general population, with sport-specific differences evident. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022347359.
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Runacres et al. (2024) conducted a meta-analysis in Anxiety and depression (n=24,732). Former elite athlete status vs. General population was evaluated on Time-point prevalence of depression (PR 2.58, 95% CI 2.04-3.12, p=<0.01). Former elite athletes had over twice the time-point prevalence of depression (PR 2.58) and anxiety (PR 2.08) compared to the general population.
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