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Hendricks S, Amino N, van Wyk JP, Gouttenbarge V, Mellalieu S, Schlebusch R. Inside edge - prevalence and factors associated with symptoms of anxiety/depression in professional cricketers. Res Sports Med 2024; 32:524-536. [PMID: 36284499 DOI: 10.1080/15438627.2022.2139619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to i) determine the prevalence of anxiety/depression symptoms in professional cricketers and ii) identify factors associated with symptoms of anxiety/depression. One-hundred and seventy-seven (n = 177, response rate of 76%) professional cricketers completed the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12). Odd ratios (OR) for anxiety/depression symptoms were related to players' career, family and education. Prevalence of symptoms of anxiety/depression was 59% (n = 104/177). Anxiety/depression symptoms increased when players were contracted for more than 2 years (OR: 5.0; 95% CI: 1.2-21.3; p = 0.028) and if they played their last offseason overseas (OR: 3.5; 95% CI: 1.3-9.6; p = 0.013). Anxiety/depression symptoms decreased by 70% when players made "productive use" of their time in the offseason (OR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1-0.9; p = 0.036) and contracted for 2 years (OR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1-1.0; p = 0.049). These findings can be incorporated into cricket mental health literacy programmes to improve awareness and understanding, and to encourage early help-seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharief Hendricks
- Division of Physiological Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Health through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport (HPALS) Research Centre, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Institute for Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK
| | - Nur Amino
- Division of Physiological Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - J P van Wyk
- South African Cricketers' Association, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Vincent Gouttenbarge
- Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Collaboration on Health & Safety in Sports (ACHSS), IOC Research Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Section Sports Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Stephen Mellalieu
- Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Ruan Schlebusch
- South African Cricketers' Association, Cape Town, South Africa
- Sportsthink 360, Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa
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Hendricks S, van Wyk JP, Player B, Schlebusch R. University and stakeholder partnerships to innovate in sport - the development of the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA) career transition screening tool. S Afr J Sports Med 2023; 35:v35i1a15218. [PMID: 38249770 PMCID: PMC10798606 DOI: 10.17159/2078-516x/2023/v35i1a15218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
In sports, the value and mutual benefit of university-stakeholder partnerships have been well-recognised. It has been argued that cricket has a unique set of challenges compared to other team sports. In 2016, the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA) and the University of Cape Town established a partnership to (i) conduct novel research on professional cricketers and (ii) ensure SACA programmes and initiatives are informed by said research and/or the currently available literature. As the demand on professional cricketers has increased, so has the interest in their career transitioning. That is, how do professional cricketers manage stressors created by changes (or non-changes) throughout their playing careers? To help identify gaps for intervention as a cricketer transitions through their professional career, the purpose of this short report is to describe how a university-stakeholder partnership developed a career transitioning screening tool for professional cricketers in South Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Hendricks
- Division of Physiological Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town,
South Africa
- Health through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport (HPALS) Research Centre, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town,
South Africa
- Institute for Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds,
United Kingdom
| | - JP van Wyk
- South African Cricketers’ Association, Cape Town,
South Africa
| | - B Player
- South African Cricketers’ Association, Cape Town,
South Africa
| | - R Schlebusch
- South African Cricketers’ Association, Cape Town,
South Africa
- Sportsthink 360, Claremont, Cape Town,
South Africa
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Armino N, Gouttebarge V, Mellalieu S, Schlebusch R, Van Wyk JP, Hendricks S. Anxiety and depression in athletes assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) - a systematic scoping review. S Afr j sports med (Online) 2021. [DOI: 10.17159/2078-516x/2021/v33i1a10679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Poor mental health of athletes is major concern in sport. Typically, incidence/prevalence of mental health symptoms in athletes is studied using symptom-specific questionnaires. For symptoms of depression/anxiety, one such self-reporting questionnaire is the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12).
Objective: The aim of this review was to synthesise and compare studies using the GHQ-12 in athletes to inform future research by identifying trends and gaps in the literature.
Methods: A systematic search of five electronic databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, PsychINFO, Scopus and Web of Science) was conducted on all published studies up to 1 January 2019. 1) participants were able-bodied athletes; 2) studies measured anxiety/depression using the GHQ-12; 3) studies were full original articles from peer-reviewed journals; 4) studies were published in English.
Results: 32 studies were included in the review. Prevalence and incidence of symptoms of anxiety/depression ranged from 21-48% and 17-57% respectively. The majority of studies screening anxiety/depression using the GHQ-12 were cross-sectional. Almost 70% of studies used the traditional scoring method. The majority of study populations sampled all-male cohorts comprising football (soccer) players.
Conclusion: The traditional scoring of 0-0-1-1 should be used with the cut-off set at ≥3. Also, the mean GHQ-12 score should be reported. Potential risk factors for symptoms of anxiety/depression (i.e. recent adverse life events, injury and illness, social support, pressure to perform and career transitioning) and a lack of prospective studies were identified. Future research should also broaden the spectrum of athlete populations used and try to improve response rates.
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