Mental Health in First- and Second-Division Soccer Players: A Cross-Sectional Study

• Main Authors: Lucía Bonet (Author), Ana Benito (Author), Héctor Usó (Author), Marc Peraire (Author), Gonzalo Haro (Author), Isabel Almodóvar-Fernández (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2024-04-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/sports12040106; 2075-4663
• Keywords: mental illness; high-performance athletes; football; anxiety; depression; Sports; GV557-1198.995
• Source: Sports, Vol 12, Iss 4, p 106 (2024)

Background: The benefits of sport in mental health have been broadly studied. However, few studies have examined these outcomes in high-performance athletes. We aimed to analyze the state of the mental health of the Villarreal Soccer Club's first- (FD) and second-division (SD) players and the possible mediating effects of sex and professional category. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with an initial sample of 108 soccer players (final sample <i>n</i> = 54). Data from MINI, HARS, HDRS, BARRAT-11 and SCSRQ questionnaires were analyzed. Results: The mean age was 23.41 years (SD = 4.56) and 61.1% (<i>n</i> = 33) were men. A proportion of 24.1% (<i>n</i> = 13) stated that they had undergone mental health treatment, 7.4% (<i>n</i> = 4) had taken psychotropic drugs, and 2.1% (<i>n</i> = 1) had made a suicide attempt. Differences were observed between the FD and SD players in terms of the sensitivity to punishment (t = −2.2; <i>p</i> = 0.033), overall impulsivity (t = −3.1; <i>p</i> = 0.003), unplanned impulsivity (t = 3.4; <i>p</i> = 0.001), and the HDRS (U = −110.5; <i>p</i> = 0.004), HARS-Total (U = −104.0; <i>p</i> = 0.006) and HARS-Psychological subscale scores (U = −104.0; <i>p</i> = 0.001). Differences were also observed between the female and male SD players for the HARS-Somatic subscale (U = 136.5; <i>p</i> = 0.028). Conclusion: The low values obtained in the clinical scales, together with the reported psychopathological histories, suggested that the Villareal players showed better mental health than the general population.