A Comprehensive Review on Mental Health, Psychological Well-being, and Performance Challenges of Elite Athletes in Competitive Sports

Abstract

The present review is a critical evaluation of the mental health of high-level, world-class, Olympian, or professional athletes. Based on the experiences of sports psychology, psychology and other fields, it synthesises the findings regarding prevalence, typologies, and determinants of mental health disorders in this population. The review mentions general difficulties like anxiety, depression, disordered eating, burnout, and substance misuse, with an increased risk being associated with performance pressure, injuries, changing roles during a career, and sociocultural issues like stigma and media attention. It also brings forth differences in mental health outcomes according to the type of sport, level of competition, and stage of the career. Evidence-based interventions in the field of athlete well-being, including psychological skills training, therapeutic modalities, organization policies change, stigma-reduction interventions, are presented as key elements of a comprehensive approach to the application of the examples of athlete well-being. The review highlights the importance of multidisciplinary, culture-sensitive, and preventative interventions that merge mental fitness into the security of top-level athletics, and consequently, develop both their efficiency and well-being.