Mental Health Decline of Prematurely Retired Professional Rugby Players Requires Improved Psychological Support: A Qualitative Study of Lived Experiences

Abstract

Background: The mental health of professional athletes can be unstable from the start to the end of their careers, especially when the latter comes prematurely. Injured athletes require equal physical and mental health support, which must be tailored to individual needs. There is a paucity of studies on mental health challenges and support for prematurely retired professional rugby players (PRPRP). We hypothesised that their mental health support remains inadequate. Methods: A phenomenological approach was used to investigate changes in the subjective lived experiences of PRPRP. We devised a semi-structured questionnaire to help participants focus on any perceived decline in their mental health, including suicidality (thoughts, feelings and behaviour related to suicide). Additional open-ended questions enabled participants to highlight perceived deficits in care and offer suggestions for improvement. Invites were sent through the e-zine of the Rugby Players Association (RPA), with an embedded questionnaire. Responding to the invite implied that people were opting into the survey and giving consent. Data was collected from participants’ anonymised responses and interpreted by descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results: The main cause of premature retirement was traumatic injury with a consequential decline in mental health. Participants reported suicidality, following premature retirement and confirmed the lack of holistic support. They suggested strategies for improvement in care that are identical to those in existing literature, and reiterated the need to equalise their mental and physical health support. Conclusions: Shortcomings in psychological support remain significant with a major gap between it and support for physical health. Other existing literature also suggests abolishing the gap between theoretical findings and practical provision of support, but that remains unaccomplished. We propose introducing mandatory legislation for sports clubs to implement support measures, and recommend involving all main stakeholders in future research.