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Professional Athlete Retirement and Depression
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Posted on: 04/19/2007
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The transition from active work life to retirement can be a hard time for many
people. Professional athletes, who spend their work days with intense devotion to fitness and competition, may find that transition difficult, particularly if the retirement wasn’t their idea, such as the result of being released from a team, or after being injured.
Researchers wanted to learn of the difficulties encountered by some professional athletes as they moved from active playing to retirement. The
researchers sent out questionnaires to 3377 retired National Football League
players and they received 1617 usable responses.
The survey covered issues such as how the former players had adapted to retired life, if they were experiencing financial or marital problems, if they
received any help, and what or how they would like to receive for assistance if they needed. The questionnaire also measured depression symptoms using the PHQ-9, a nine-item patient health questionnaire.
When the results were interpreted, the former players were split into three groups for causes of retirement: 557 said they were cut from the team, 559 said they chose to retire, and 470 sustained an injury that forced their retirement.
Almost half of respondents (48 percent) reported that they had difficulty with pain after retirement. This complaint was followed by 29 percent who complained of loss of fitness or exercise, 28 percent each of weight gain and trouble sleeping, and 27 percent each of difficulty with getting older and adjusting to life after football. The researchers found that those respondents who reported moderate to severe depression also were the least likely to seek help. Many felt that the help wasn’t available, that family and friends wouldn’t understand or that they would seem weak, or that the issues weren’t as serious as they might be.
There is already a known connection between depression and chronic pain within the general population. These researchers reviewed almost 60 studies about the association of pain and depression, and found that approximately two-thirds of patients with major depressive disorder also reported significant pain. It was also found that around 50 percent of patients who visited chronic pain clinics, also had depression.
Depression scores from the former football players were compared with their pain scores. Of all the respondents, 10.9 percent reported that they had increased scores in both pain and depression; 37.2 percent had an increase in pain but a decrease in depression; 4.0 percent had a decrease in pain and an increase in depression; and 48 percent had a decrease in both pain and depression scores.
The researchers concluded that retired football players may be at higher risk of developing depression and having a difficult time adapting to retirement. The chronic pain, the change in lifestyle and their perceived barriers to seeking help, could contribute to significant disability and maybe even suicide in a small group of ex-players.
They recommend that players be prepared for retirement while they are still
actively playing, allowing them to anticipate what could happen after
retirement and how to seek help if their retirement occurs suddenly and earlier than anticipated.
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References:
Thomas L. Schwenk, MD et al. Depression and Pain in Retired Professional
Football Players. In Medicine & Social Science in Sports & Exercise. April 2007. Vol. 39. No. 4. Pp 599-605.
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