ABSTRACT
Objectives
Mental health research in sport is almost entirely focused on elite male athletes. However, recent research suggests that elite female athletes are at higher risk for mental ill-health when compared to their male counterparts. Given the recent growth of women’s football in England and lack of research surrounding mental health in this population, this study sought to explore the prevalence of, and factors associated with depression, anxiety, and eating disorder symptoms in females competing in the top two tiers of English football.
Methods
An anonymous online questionnaire pack, which measured personal and player characteristics and included the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), Brief Eating Disorder Questionnaire (BEDA-Q), and General Help-Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ), was completed between November 2020 and March 2021 by elite female footballers competing in the Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship.
Results
A total of 115 players completed the questionnaire (63 from the WSL; 52 from the Women’s Championship). 36% displayed eating disorder symptoms (BEDAQ) 11% displayed moderate to severe anxiety symptoms (GAD-7), and 11% displayed moderate to severe depression symptoms (PHQ-9). Significant associations emerged between starting status, want for psychological support, student-athlete status, help-seeking intentions score, and mental ill-health symptoms.
Conclusion
In summary, elite female footballers in England reported significant mental health symptoms, particularly disordered eating symptoms. Further research should explore the experiences of mental ill-health in this population, focusing on the factors that were important in this study.
Acknowledgements
The authors highly appreciate the cooperation of all players who volunteered their time to fill in the questionnaire. We express our gratitude to current and former players, particularly Dr. Alex Culvin, for distributing the questionnaire. Additionally, we would like to thank Dr. Astrid Junge for her advice and support surrounding the content of the questionnaire.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.
Ethics approval
Obtained from the University of Central Lancashire, Preston England.
Patient consent
Obtained.