Prevalence and determinants of symptoms of common mental disorders in retired professional Rugby Union players

Abstract

The primary aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) (distress, anxiety/depression, sleeping disturbance, adverse nutrition behaviour, adverse alcohol behaviour and smoking) among retired professional Rugby Union players. The secondary aim was to explore the associations between stressors (life events, Rugby Union career dissatisfaction) and the health conditions under study. Therefore, cross-sectional analyses were conducted on baseline questionnaires from an ongoing prospective cohort study of retired professional Rugby Union players. An electronic questionnaire was established using validated questionnaires to assess symptoms of CMD and stressors. The electronic questionnaire was subsequently distributed to retired players by the national Rugby Union players’ associations in France, Ireland and South Africa. Among 295 retired professional Rugby Union players (mean age of 38 years), prevalence rates were 25% for distress, 28% for anxiety/depression, 29% for sleeping disturbance, 62% for adverse nutrition behaviour, 15% for smoking and 24% for adverse alcohol behaviour. A higher number of life events were associated with distress (OR = 1.2; 95% CI 1.1–1.4), anxiety/depression (OR = 1.6; 95% CI 1.2–2.1), sleeping disturbance (OR = 1.6; 95% CI 1.2–2.1) and adverse nutrition behaviour (OR = 1.8; 95% CI 1.3–2.5). A higher level of dissatisfaction of the player's Rugby Union career was associated with distress (OR = 0.9; 95% CI 0.8–1.0), sleeping disturbance (OR = 0.9; 95% CI 0.9–1.0), smoking (OR = 0.9; 95% CI 0.9–1.0) and adverse nutrition behaviour (OR = 0.9; 95% CI 0.8–0.9). In conclusion, our study suggests that prevalence of symptoms of CMD is high among retired professional Rugby Union players, being associated with both a higher number of life events and a higher level of Rugby Union career dissatisfaction.

Keywords:

• Rugby Union
• elite athletes
• mental disorders
• substance-related disorders

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Corrigendum

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Rugby Union players’ associations from France (Union des Joueurs de Rugby Professionnels, Provale), Ireland (Irish Rugby Union Players Association, IRUPA) and South Africa (South African Rugby Players Association, SARPA; South African Rugby Legends Association, SARLA) for their assistance in the study. The authors are also thankful to the South African Rugby Union (SARU) for their support of the study. The authors are, of course, very grateful to all retired players for their participation in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.