Key result
Screening elite youth athletes identifies ~11% at high depression risk, especially older and female athletes.
Why the study?
This study evaluated whether depression risk estimates differ between disease- and health-oriented screening instruments in elite youth sport, and assessed relationships with age, sex, sport type, and performance level.
Does the risk estimation for depression differ between the PHQ-2 and WHO-5 in elite youth athletes?
Cross-Sectional (n=549)
Does the risk estimation for depression differ between the PHQ-2 and WHO-5 in elite youth athletes?
Absolute Event Rate: 11.3% vs 12.8%
Both the PHQ-2 and WHO-5 are practical and diagnostically conclusive tools for screening mental health risk in elite youth athletes, identifying approximately 11-13% of participants as high risk.
Supports brief depression screening in elite youth athletes; leaves open optimal tool choice and prospective validation.
This study aims to examine whether the risk for depression differs between using a disease- and a health-oriented instrument in elite youth sport and to uncover relationships of risk with concern to age, sex, type of sport, and level of performance. A sample of 549 eleven- to twenty-one-year-old elite athletes were screened using the German versions of the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) and the WHO Well-Being Index-5 (WHO-5). For external validity, the state of physical well-being and mood state, as well as recovery measures, were assessed. The proportions of athletes at high risk for mental health problems were 11.3% (PHQ-2) and 12.8% (WHO-5) of the participants. Young athletes (<15 years old) and male athletes showed lower risk values compared with older or female athletes. Moreover, PHQ-2 and WHO-5 values correlated with physical well-being and subjective sleep parameters. Both instruments were practical and diagnostically conclusive. Further studies on the validation of the instruments are recommended.
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Kleinert et al. (2023) conducted a cross-sectional in Depression and mental health (n=549). Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) vs. WHO Well-Being Index-5 (WHO-5) was evaluated on Proportion of athletes at high risk for mental health problems. Screening elite youth athletes for depression risk identified 11.3% at high risk using the PHQ-2 and 12.8% using the WHO-5, with older and female athletes showing higher risk values.
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