Elite coaches have a similar prevalence of depressive symptoms to the general population and lower rates than elite athletes
Open accessAbstract
Objective: The primary aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and life stress in elite coaches. The secondary aim was to explore the associations of depressive symptoms and life stress with demographic and lifestyle variables. Methods: National-level coaches were invited to participate in an online survey. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R). Life stress was measured using daily life hassle frequency and severity scores calculated from the Daily Hassles Questionnaire, with associations evaluated using linear regression. Results: Of 110 potential participants, 69 completed and two partially completed surveys were received. The majority of respondents were male (77%), coaching individual sports (70%) and aged under 50 (71%). Overall, 14% of coaches reported at least moderate depressive symptoms according to the CESD-R. Those contemplating retirement were more likely to show depressive symptoms. Reported life stress was higher in females and in those contemplating retirement. There was a strong association between life stress and the odds of experiencing depressive symptoms (p=0.006). Conclusions: Depressive symptoms are as prevalent in elite coaches as in general population, with potential risk factors including high levels of life stress and impending retirement.
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A family history of a mood disorder was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms.
“contemplation of retirement, a family history of a mood disorder, and the frequency of daily hassles were identified as significant predictors of depressive symptoms [111]”
From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [111]
The Results report that family history of a mood disorder was significantly associated with depressive symptoms in unadjusted analysis (p=0.037). It was not significant after adjustment for contemplation of retirement, so calling it a significant predictor without that qualification overstates the finding. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOnly 14.1% of a New Zealand coaching sample (n = 69) met the cut-off criteria for at least moderate symptoms of depression.
“Kim and colleagues [111] found that only 14.1% of a New Zealand coaching sample (n = 69) met the cut-off criteria for at least moderate symptoms of depression.”
From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [111]
The Results report that 10 coaches (14.1%) met the criteria for at least moderate depressive symptoms. However, Table 2 gives 71 coaches for depressive-symptom scores; 69 is the sample size for the daily-hassles measure, not the depression measure. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPreliminary research has found organisational stressors and daily life hassles positively predict symptoms of depression and anxiety in elite-level coaches.
“Preliminary research for instance has found organisational stressors and daily life hassles positively predict symptoms of depression and anxiety in elite-level coaches [11, 111].”
From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [111]
The Results (page unavailable) report a positive association between daily hassles and depressive symptoms in elite coaches. The paper describes role-specific stressors in the Introduction, but does not show that organisational stressors predict symptoms; its Methods and Results do not report anxiety symptoms as an outcome. It also cautions in the Discussion that life stress does not necessarily precede a depressive episode. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredNine studies examined the prevalence of mental ill-health amongst general elite-level coaching populations.
“Nine studies (21.4%) [11, 12, 81, 93, 96, 99, 111–113] also examined the prevalence of mental ill-health amongst general elite-level coaching populations”
From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [111]
The frequency of daily hassles was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms.
“contemplation of retirement, a family history of a mood disorder, and the frequency of daily hassles were identified as significant predictors of depressive symptoms [111]”
From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [111]
Contemplation of retirement was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms.
“contemplation of retirement, a family history of a mood disorder, and the frequency of daily hassles were identified as significant predictors of depressive symptoms [111]”
From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [111]
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Additional file 2 of The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review
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Additional file 4 of The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review
Frost, J., Walton, C. C., Purcell, R., Fisher, K., Gwyther, K., Kocherginsky, M., & Rice, S. M. (2024) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.26679632
Additional file 6 of The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review
Frost, J., Walton, C. C., Purcell, R., Fisher, K., Gwyther, K., Kocherginsky, M., & Rice, S. M. (2024) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.26679638
Additional file 1 of The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review
Frost, J., Walton, C. C., Purcell, R., Fisher, K., Gwyther, K., Kocherginsky, M., & Rice, S. M. (2024) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.25203625
Additional file 3 of The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review
Frost, J., Walton, C. C., Purcell, R., Fisher, K., Gwyther, K., Kocherginsky, M., & Rice, S. M. (2024) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.26679629
Additional file 5 of The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review
Frost, J., Walton, C. C., Purcell, R., Fisher, K., Gwyther, K., Kocherginsky, M., & Rice, S. M. (2024) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.26679635
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- Authors
- Kim, S. S. Y., Hamiliton, B., Beable, S., Cavadino, A., & Fulcher, M. L.
- Affiliations
- Axis Sports Medicine Specialists, Auckland, New Zealand
- High Performance Sport New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand
- University of Auckland (NZ)
- Corresponding author
- Kim, Simon Sang Yeob
- Venue
- BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2020-03
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- e000719
- ISSN
- 2055-7647 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7173988
- OpenAlex
- W3014968769
- Cited by
- 40
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 2
- FWCI
- 5.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychological Treatments and Assessments
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Keywords
- depressive symptoms, elite coaches, life events, daily hassles, retirement, prevalence, mental health, gender differences
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