Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Oct 26:9:2062.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02062. eCollection 2018.

Learning From Elite Athletes' Experience of Depression

Florence Lebrun  1 , Àine MacNamara  1   2 , Sheelagh Rodgers  2 , Dave Collins  1   2
Affiliations

Learning From Elite Athletes' Experience of Depression

Florence Lebrun et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Sport has become increasingly aware of the challenges associated with Mental Disorders and, to a greater extent, mental health issues (MHIs). This study sought to explore in depth the subjective experiences of elite athletes who suffered from a specific clinical MHI, namely depression. In addition, we explored their perceptions of the prevalence and stigma surrounding MHIs in elite sport environments. Data were collected from four elite athletes (1 female and 3 males; 2 team and 2 individual sports) using semi-structured interviews and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Participants described both sport and non-sport related triggers in regard to their depression (e.g., institutional mistreatment and bullying, injuries, previous MHI, and miscarriage), as well as a range of behaviour, performance (e.g., decline), and personality changes compared to their normal functioning. Although the participants stressed the widespread prevalence of MHIs in elite sport, they also acknowledged the stigma associated with MHIs in high-level sport environments and its detrimental role for athletes. This study has important practical and diagnostic implications, and highlights the need for further research to assess the extent and scope of clinical MHIs in sport as well as to inform the care for this unique population.

Keywords: elite sport; genesis; mental health issues; stigma; symptoms.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Participant 1’s graphic timeline.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Participant 2’s graphic timeline.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Participant 3’s graphic timeline.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Participant 4’s graphic timeline.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. American Psychological Association [APA] (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edn. Washinghton, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
    1. Arvinen-Barrow M. (2016). Commentary: the experience of depression during careers of elite male athletes. Front. Psychol. 7:1609. 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01609 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bär K.-J., Markser V. Z. (2013). Sport specificity of mental disorders: the issue of sport psychiatry. Eur. Arch. Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 263 205–210. 10.1007/s00406-013-0458-4 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Biggerstaff D., Thompson A. R. (2008). Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA): a qualitative methodology of choice in healthcare research. Qual. Res. Psychol. 5 173–183. - PubMed
    1. Cornford C. S., Hill A., Reilly J. (2007). How patients with depressive symptoms view their condition: a qualitative study. Fam. Pract. 24 358–364. 10.1093/fampra/cmm032 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources