Research summary · Women in sport
Female soccer players' symptom burden varies within a largely stable season pattern
Researchers repeatedly assessed anxiety and depressive symptoms in 406 female players from six amateur and five elite German soccer clubs. The sample included 206 players aged 12–17, 134 aged 18–24 and 66 aged 25 or older. Four assessments allowed examination of seasonal symptom trajectories.
- Publication year
- 2027
- First published online
- Publication type
- Four-wave longitudinal observational study
- Journal
- Psychology of Sport and Exercise
- Population / context
- Women's and girls' football · Elite and amateur clubs
What the publication reports
Across assessments, approximately 20–30% screened above anxiety thresholds and 15–25% above depression thresholds. Symptoms were generally stable between individuals, but average levels peaked around mid-season. The results identify a potentially useful period for support and repeat assessment; they do not show that competition demands caused the symptoms.
Limits and interpretation
Screening thresholds do not constitute clinical diagnoses. Observational data cannot separate academic, personal, training and competition influences. Findings from eleven German clubs should not be treated as population-wide prevalence estimates, and the study did not evaluate a treatment or screening programme.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
When the season takes a toll - Severity and stability of anxiety and depression symptoms in German elite and amateur female soccer players.
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42759733DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103264Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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