ABSTRACT

The purpose of this scoping review was to provide an overview of studies concerning the mental health (MH) of elite athletes and to provide a methodological, conceptual, and applied overview of factors affecting elite athletes’ MH. A total of nine reviews and 43 empirical studies were evaluated and are reported in three sections: sample characteristics, research design, and factors affecting elite athletes’ MH. These factors were grouped into risk and protective factors and divided into a personal and sport-environmental domain. The studies used quantitative (84%), qualitative (11%), and mixed-method (5%) designs and examined a wide range of sports in different countries. Our review shows that researchers have predominantly examined the prevalence of athletes’ mental ill-health (e.g. depression) and the related factors compromising MH. Potential protective factors such as the feeling of autonomy, positive relations in sport and private life, and adequate recovery were highlighted in the qualitative studies. The discussion appraises the findings through a critical lens, focuses on the current state of the research area and the MH definition, limitations, suggested practical implications (e.g. to provide MH literacy to both athletes and coaches), and future research directions (e.g. examining environments that foster elite athletes’ MH).

摘要

范围界定审查的目的是提供有关精英运动员心理健康（MH）的研究概述，并提供影响精英运动员MH的因素的方法，概念和应用概述。总共对9项评论和43项实证研究进行了评估，并在以下三个部分进行了报告：样本特征，研究设计和影响优秀运动员MH的因素。这些因素分为危险因素和保护因素，并分为个人和运动环境领域。这些研究使用了定量（84％），定性（11％）和混合方法（5％）设计，并研究了不同国家的各种体育运动。我们的评论表明，研究人员主要检查了运动员精神疾病的患病率-健康（例如抑郁症）和影响MH的相关因素。定性研究强调了潜在的保护性因素，例如自主感，体育与私人生活中的积极关系以及适当的康复。讨论将通过重要的角度评估研究结果，重点关注研究领域的当前状态和MH定义，局限性，建议的实际意义（例如，为运动员和教练提供MH素养）以及未来的研究方向（例如，检查环境）培养优秀运动员的MH）。