Research summary · Mental health
Female trail-running survey identifies unmet mental-health screening needs
An online survey of 318 adult female trail runners assessed depressive symptoms with the PHQ-9 and examined responses to its self-harm-related item. It also collected training, employment and health information to explore associated factors.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Cross-sectional online survey
- Journal
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Population / context
- Women in trail running · Endurance sport
What the publication reports
Sixty respondents (18.9%) reached the depressive-symptom screening threshold, and 25 (7.9%) endorsed item 9. Unemployment was associated with a positive depression screen in adjusted analysis. The findings concern screening responses, not confirmed psychiatric diagnoses or suicide-risk assessments.
Limits and interpretation
Self-selection, self-report and cross-sectional measurement limit representativeness and causal interpretation. Item 9 combines different experiences and cannot replace clinical assessment. Only 25 positive item-9 responses prevented adjusted modelling of that outcome; training associations should not be interpreted as causal.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Assessment of depression and suicidal thoughts among female trail runners
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42643314DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1753949Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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