Study reveals mental illness in retired rugby players

Study finds symptoms of anxiety, depression and sleep disturbances

IT IS the rough and tumble of the game. Heads butt in the scrum, the exhilaration of the sport, the adulation of the crowds… then comes retirement.

Now a study by UCT’s Division of Exercise Science and Sport Medicine has found that retired rugby players showed a wide variety of symptoms related to mental health.

The study looked at 295 retired players from South Africa, Ireland and France and found between 25% and 30% reported symptoms related to distress, anxiety, depression or sleep disturbances.

In a recent similar study they looked at 990 current professional rugby players from several countries, including SA, and it showed that between 15% and 20% of current players reported the same symptoms.

UCT lecturer Dr Vincent Gouttebarge, who is a former professional footballer, said it was a good thing that more research was being done on the topic.

“Raising awareness of the rugby family about mental health problems should be a first step. In professional football we have developed an after-career consultation that is offered to players stopping their careers. A check-up is done and potential physical and mental health problems are discussed and advice given.”

Stefan Terblanche, chief executive of the South African Rugby Legends Association, has called for more to be done to address mental health issues that players can experience once retired.

“The findings were a clear indication not much is being done to identify potential mental health issues at an early stage of a professional’s career, or that much is being done at any level to address this.”

He added that following the death of former Australian player, South African-born Dan Vickerman, it emerged that his life was wracked by depression, one of the mental issues retired players faced.

“We are starting to talk more openly about how depression and other mental illnesses can impact athletes’ wellbeing.”