Prevalence and associated factors with mental health symptoms among semi-professional cricket players after the resumption of sporting activities following an extensive lockdown

Background: Mental health of cricket players has been a topic of debate for a considerable time across the globe. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of mental health symptoms among semi-professional male cricket players experienced during COVID-19, as well as the relationship between age and the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21) sub-scale. Methods: Mental health symptoms were assessed among cricket players (n = 90) using the following instruments, respectively: Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale - 21 (DASS - 21); Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Descriptive (means ± standard deviations) and inferential (Spearman's correlations) statistics were calculated using SPSS (IBM Version 27.0) at a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: The study reported that 5.6% (n = 5) of cricketers believed life was futile, and 10% (n = 9) thought they were useless most of the time. However, on the anxiety sub-scale, 27% (n = 24) of cricketers indicated low confidence. In addition, 23% (n = 21) of cricketers reported being stressed. Spearman's correlations revealed a positive and significant association between the DASS-21 sub-scales and that cricketers' DASS-21 sub-scale symptoms are unrelated to age. Conclusion: The study found that there were moderate levels of anxiety, a reduced sense of achievement and a neutral feeling towards satisfaction with life. Reducing mental health symptoms would extend the playing careers of cricket players. De-stigmatising mental health may result in more robust and accurate self-reports of mental health illness among elite athletes, which can enable sustainable change.