Anxiety and depression in athletes: a meta-analysis highlights the limits of exercise’s protective effects

A review covering several levels of sport

The researchers brought together 64 studies involving 131,840 athletes. The literature search covered three scientific databases through August 18, 2025. Inclusion criteria encompassed high school and university athletes, amateurs and elite athletes.

Studies had to measure moderate to severe anxiety or depressive symptoms, or diagnosed disorders. Two reviewers assessed the risk of bias. Results were pooled using random-effects models, but the abstract provided includes neither detailed information on study quality nor measures of heterogeneity.

Symptoms must be distinguished from diagnoses

For moderate to severe anxiety symptoms, the estimate of 16% is based on 33 studies and 12,893 athletes, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 13 to 21%. For depressive symptoms, the estimate of 18% is based on 46 studies and 19,290 athletes, with an interval ranging from 14 to 22%.

These findings from screening tools are not interchangeable with diagnoses. The prevalence of diagnosed anxiety disorders is 21% across three studies. The prevalence of diagnosed depressive disorders is 6%, but is based on a single study of 290 athletes. Directly comparing these percentages would be misleading: they come from different populations and assessment methods.

What these findings change

This review highlights that being an athlete, even without a current injury, does not rule out substantial symptoms. The authors emphasize the value of early identification of mental health difficulties in athletes.

However, it does not support the conclusion that athletes are more affected than non-athletes: the abstract reports no direct comparison with that population. Nor does it allow these symptoms to be attributed to training, competition or any other specific factor.

An assessment limited to the available abstract

Analyses by level and type of sport are mentioned, but their results are not included in the excerpt. It is therefore impossible to identify a particularly affected sport or level here. The full text was not consulted, and funding and conflicts of interest could not be verified.

What we can take away

Sport and mental health difficulties can coexist. This review supports paying attention to symptoms in athletes, not a causal conclusion about the effects of training.