Former football players show higher levels of depression and anxiety and self-reported difficulties with thinking and decision-making than healthy non-players, according to new research.
Early results from the study show that nearly a third of the 142 professional former players in the study had symptoms serious enough to be classed as clinical depression, compared with just 9% of the comparison group. For anxiety, 42% of players met the threshold, against 25% of non-players.
“Although there were not clear differences between ex-players and non-players in standard cognitive tests, we did see significant differences in symptoms (such as anxiety and depression) reported by participants, as well as in brain imaging,” said Caleigh Grace Lynch, lead author of the study.
She added that the findings suggest there may be measurable effects on brain health in former professional footballers even in midlife, well before conditions such as dementia typically become apparent.
The study involved 142 former professional players aged 30 to 60: 126 men with at least three years as full-time professionals, and 16 women who had played in the UK's top two women's divisions.
