Association between depressive symptoms and episodes of musculoskeletal injuries in Brazilian athletes during crisis time

Abstract

The crisis time generated negative impacts in sports. This study aimed to investigate the main psychological symptoms and the resilience profile of Brazilian athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted, involving 474 athletes from different sports, who completed an online self-reported questionnaire about their sociodemographic and sports profile, COVID-19 clinical profile, life and health habits, profile psychological and resilience. A total of the 441 athletes (93%) reported some impairment of mental health: 81% concern, 68% stress, 63% mood change, 61% anxiety, 50% insomnia, 48% pessimism, 47% fear, 40% sadness, 13% depression, and 7% panic. The lower family income was associated with concern ( p =0.02), insomnia ( p =0.05), fear ( p =0.05) and sadness ( p =0.05). The depression was associated with lower family income (OR=3.7 CI95%=1.4-9.5), changes in financial income (OR=2 CI95%=1.1-3.8), not able to adapt training (OR=2.8 CI95%=1.5-5.0), and musculoskeletal injuries (OR=2.6 CI95%=1.1-3.8). The mean resilience score in all athletes was 130±14 points and the group with a low resilience score (up to 125 points) showed more anxiety, pessimism, concern, depression, fear, insomnia, mood change, panic, sadness, and stress. The score decreased by 1.6 points according to the cumulative psychological outcome ( p <0.01). The years of sports practice and weekly training hours were associated with higher resilience scores (above 140 points). The identification of factors associated with the presence of negative psychological symptoms and the resilience of athletes can help monitor post-pandemic mental health, promoting the well-being and quality of life of these individuals, optimizing sports performance, and mitigating the occurrence of injuries