Mental Well-Being and Risk of Depression in Amateur Soccer Players

Abstract. Although athletes are exposed to various stressors and adversities that may negatively impact mental well-being, only few studies focus on mental well-being in amateur soccer players. The study aims were to analyze mental well-being in amateur soccer players, and whether it is related to team membership. The sample consisted of N = 20 soccer teams with a total of N = 285 athletes. Mental well-being was assessed using the WHO-5 Well-Being Index, and the risk of depression was assessed using the Patient-Health Questionnaire-2. The results showed that approximately 4 % of all players were at risk of suffering from impaired mental well-being. Although the results demonstrated that team membership explained 5 % of mental well-being cases and 10 % of the risk of depression cases, no team level variables were identified that explain this variance. Group processes and environmental factors that inhibit mental well-being in soccer players should be identified in future studies.