Key result
Sport-related demands and resources among 259 Finnish elite athletes clustered into four mental health profiles, being healthiest in older, retired males and worst in young athletes.
Why the study?
The study aimed to identify profiles of elite athlete mental well- and ill-being and assess how these subgroups differed in sport-related demands and resources.
Cross-Sectional (n=259)
Elite athletes exhibit distinct profiles of mental well-being that correlate with their balance of sport-related demands and resources, highlighting the need for tailored psychological support.
Supports age-specific mental health strategies in athletes; leaves open causal relationships in this cross-sectional analysis.
The aim of the present study was to identify profiles of elite athlete mental well- and ill-being and study how the profiles (i.e., subgroups of athletes) differed in sport-related demands and resources. A total of 259 Finnish elite athletes ( n = 170 active and n = 89 retired) completed quantitative self-report inventories. Through cluster analysis, four profiles of mental well- and ill-being were identified. Profile 1 was overrepresented by retired, older, and male athletes, and characterized by good mental well-being. Profile 2 consisted mainly of active athletes who reported mild risk for alcohol abuse. Profile 3 consisted mainly of women who displayed possible presence of an eating disorder. Profile 4 was typical of young athletes with mental ill-being. The balance between sport-related demands and resources appeared to be the healthiest in Profile 1 and worst in Profile 4. The present findings are beneficial for those who work with and/or provide psychological support to athletes.
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Kaski et al. (2022) conducted a cross-sectional in Mental well- and ill-being (n=259). Sport-related demands and resources among 259 Finnish elite athletes clustered into four mental health profiles, being healthiest in older, retired males and worst in young athletes.
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