Clin J Sport Med. 2026 Jan 5. doi: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000001401. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate associations among injury, quality of life (QOL), and mental health among elite youth soccer athletes.
DESIGN: Study materials were sent to Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) clubs through an online survey link.
SETTING: Soccer athletes were invited to participate in May and June of 2024 by their respective clubs.
PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred sixty-eight ECNL soccer athletes (ages 13-19 years) completed the study.
ASSESSMENT OF RISK FACTORS: Injury history and risk factors were assessed using a demographic survey.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcomes including QOL (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory), anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7), and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) were compared between athletes by injury status (uninjured, recovered, injured) using Tukey-adjusted pairwise comparisons of estimated marginal means.
RESULTS: Two hundred ninety-five (44.2%) respondents reported an injury in the prior 6 months, of whom 224 (33.5%) had recovered, and 71 (10.6%) were currently injured. Uninjured athletes reported significantly lower symptoms of anxiety (5.0, 95% CI [4.5-5.5]) than currently injured (6.6 [5.5-7.7], P = 0.008) and recovered athletes (6.0 [5.3-6.6], P < 0.001). Currently injured athletes reported higher levels of depression (6.9 [5.8-8.1]) than recovered (5.2 [4.5-5.8], P = 0.01) and uninjured athletes (4.6 [4.0-5.1], P < 0.001), while the difference between recovered and uninjured athletes was not statistically significant (P = 0.19). Uninjured athletes also demonstrated significantly higher total QOL (81 [80-82]) than recovered (79 [77-80], P = 0.021) and currently injured (73 [70-76], P < 0.001) athletes.
CONCLUSIONS: Injured youth soccer athletes report worse mental health and QOL than uninjured athletes, even after return to play. Stakeholders in youth sports should consider that negative psychosocial impacts of injury may persist beyond physical impacts.
PMID:41489726 | DOI:10.1097/JSM.0000000000001401
