Abstract

Sports injuries are common among collegiate soccer players. Previous studies show that collegiate athletes are at risk for suffering from various levels of clinical depression and are at higher risk for severe injuries. Yet, there has been limited research exploring the psychological and emotional effects of sports injuries in a specific population, such as collegiate soccer players. The purpose of this study was to explore if increased injury severity is related to self-reported depression by surveying collegiate soccer players about their most recent soccer related injuries. In order to investigate this relationship, a survey examining depression from one’s last soccer related injury was created. An injury severity scale was later created and used to categorize the collected data and allowed for further investigation into the relationship between injury severity and depression. Injuries were classified from 1 (least severe) to 3 (most severe). A two-way ANOVA was performed to examine the differences in depression scores by injury severity, gender and age. Scores for depression significantly increased with each injury severity category regardless of age or gender. Specifically, the average score for depression among athletes with an injury severity of 1 was 4.33 ± 4.52. The average score for depression among athletes with an injury severity of 2 was 10.46 ± 7.43, and the average score for depression among athletes with an injury severity of 3 was 15.04 ± 14.14. College soccer is a competitive, contact-driven sport with a high risk of injury. This research indicates that as injury severity increases in collegiate soccer players, there is also a trend of increasing depression regardless of gender or age. These results highlight the need for a greater focus on the negative mental and emotional outcomes following injuries among college athletes, especially severe injuries like concussions or ACL ruptures. A study pairing depression in collegiate athletics with a mental health intervention would provide additional research into this new area of study.

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