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Ask the Mental Health Expert Archives 2001-2004
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Triathlete Risk
Q.
In our small community we have had 3 triathletes commit suicide in 5 years. I am hoping to do some research to understand the risk factors for triathletes. Can you direct me?
A.
I am not aware of any research on suicide risk in triathletes per se.
However, there is a growing literature on the role of sports and athletic
competition in affecting suicide risk.
One study by Drs. David R. Brown and
Curtis Blanton (see the July 2002 issue of Medicine and Science in Sports
and Exercise) found that college students who play varsity or intramural
sports are less likely to consider or attempt suicide. Team sports can
provide a healing social environment, but another factor may be that
athletes better handle emotional stress, Brown concluded.
Men who did not
play sports were 2.5 times more likely to experience suicidal thoughts or
behavior, the report said. Of 1,363 men with no participation in sports,
12.54 percent were considered suicidal. Of 428 men who did play sports, the
figure was 7.27 percent. Women who were not on varsity or intramural teams
had a 67 percent greater risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in the past 12
months, the report said. Of 286 women in sports, 8.57 percent were
considered suicidal, compared with 12.03 percent of 2,614 women who were not
on teams.
On the other hand, another study by Kokotailo et al (Clin J Sport
Med 1996 Jul;6(3):183-9) found that male athletes had a higher prevalence of
risky behaviors (including binge drinking, engaging in unprotected sex) than
their male non-athlete counterparts. This was in contrast to female
athletes, who had fewer risky behaviors than their female nonathlete
counterparts.
So, there may be gender effects that affect suicide risk
among athletes. It's possible that the cluster of suicides you have seen
in your town simply represents a statistical fluke--or maybe there is some
factor in common, but not necessarily being a triathlete. For more
information, you may want to check out the website
http://www.usatriathlon.org/.
July 2003
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