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TOPLINE:
, a new study by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) found.
METHODOLOGY:
- Investigators analyzed deaths between 2002 and 2022, using Poisson regression models to assess changes in incidence rates over time.
- Data were drawn from the NCAA death database, which includes death from any cause, and included demographic characteristics such as age and race and sporting discipline.
- They utilized linear and quadratic fits between year and suicide incidence for men and women.
- Given the low incidence of suicide deaths per year, the incidence rate was multiplied by 100,000 to calculate the incidence per 100,000 athlete-years (AYs).
TAKEAWAY:
- Of 1102 total deaths, 11.6% were due to suicide (98 men, 30 women).
- Athletes who died by suicide ranged in age from 17 to 24 years (mean, 20 years) were predominantly men (77%) and White (59%), with the highest suicide incidence rate among male cross-country athletes (1:29 per 815 AYs).
- The overall incidence of suicide was 1:71 per 145 AYs.
- Over the last 10 years, suicide was the second most common cause of death after accidents, with the proportion of deaths by suicide doubling from the first to the second decades (7.6% to 15.3%).
- Among men, the suicide incidence rate increased in a linear fashion (5-year incidence rate ratio, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.14-1.53), while among women, a quadratic association was identified (P = .002), with the incidence rate reaching its lowest point in women from 2010 to 2011 and increasing thereafter.
IN PRACTICE:
“Athletes are generally thought of as one of the healthiest populations in our society, yet the pressures of school, internal and external performance expectations, time demands, injury, athletic identity, and physical fatigue can lead to depression, mental health problems, and suicide,” the authors wrote. “Although the rate of suicide among collegiate athletes remains lower than the general population, it is important to recognize the parallel increase to ensure this population is not overlooked when assessing for risk factors and implementing prevention strategies.”
SOURCE:
Bridget M. Whelan, MPH, research scientist in the Department of Family Medicine, Sports Medicine Section, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, was the lead and corresponding author on the study, which was published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
LIMITATIONS:
There is no mandatory reporting system for athlete deaths in the United States, and investigators’ search identified 16 deaths with unknown causes, suggesting reported suicide incidence rates may be underestimated. Additionally, in cases of overdose that were not clearly intentional, the death was listed as “overdose,” possibly resulting in underreporting of suicide.
DISCLOSURES:
No source of study funding was listed. The authors disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
TOPLINE:
, a new study by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) found.
METHODOLOGY:
- Investigators analyzed deaths between 2002 and 2022, using Poisson regression models to assess changes in incidence rates over time.
- Data were drawn from the NCAA death database, which includes death from any cause, and included demographic characteristics such as age and race and sporting discipline.
- They utilized linear and quadratic fits between year and suicide incidence for men and women.
- Given the low incidence of suicide deaths per year, the incidence rate was multiplied by 100,000 to calculate the incidence per 100,000 athlete-years (AYs).
TAKEAWAY:
- Of 1102 total deaths, 11.6% were due to suicide (98 men, 30 women).
- Athletes who died by suicide ranged in age from 17 to 24 years (mean, 20 years) were predominantly men (77%) and White (59%), with the highest suicide incidence rate among male cross-country athletes (1:29 per 815 AYs).
- The overall incidence of suicide was 1:71 per 145 AYs.
- Over the last 10 years, suicide was the second most common cause of death after accidents, with the proportion of deaths by suicide doubling from the first to the second decades (7.6% to 15.3%).
- Among men, the suicide incidence rate increased in a linear fashion (5-year incidence rate ratio, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.14-1.53), while among women, a quadratic association was identified (P = .002), with the incidence rate reaching its lowest point in women from 2010 to 2011 and increasing thereafter.
IN PRACTICE:
“Athletes are generally thought of as one of the healthiest populations in our society, yet the pressures of school, internal and external performance expectations, time demands, injury, athletic identity, and physical fatigue can lead to depression, mental health problems, and suicide,” the authors wrote. “Although the rate of suicide among collegiate athletes remains lower than the general population, it is important to recognize the parallel increase to ensure this population is not overlooked when assessing for risk factors and implementing prevention strategies.”
SOURCE:
Bridget M. Whelan, MPH, research scientist in the Department of Family Medicine, Sports Medicine Section, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, was the lead and corresponding author on the study, which was published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
LIMITATIONS:
There is no mandatory reporting system for athlete deaths in the United States, and investigators’ search identified 16 deaths with unknown causes, suggesting reported suicide incidence rates may be underestimated. Additionally, in cases of overdose that were not clearly intentional, the death was listed as “overdose,” possibly resulting in underreporting of suicide.
DISCLOSURES:
No source of study funding was listed. The authors disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
TOPLINE:
, a new study by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) found.
METHODOLOGY:
- Investigators analyzed deaths between 2002 and 2022, using Poisson regression models to assess changes in incidence rates over time.
- Data were drawn from the NCAA death database, which includes death from any cause, and included demographic characteristics such as age and race and sporting discipline.
- They utilized linear and quadratic fits between year and suicide incidence for men and women.
- Given the low incidence of suicide deaths per year, the incidence rate was multiplied by 100,000 to calculate the incidence per 100,000 athlete-years (AYs).
TAKEAWAY:
- Of 1102 total deaths, 11.6% were due to suicide (98 men, 30 women).
- Athletes who died by suicide ranged in age from 17 to 24 years (mean, 20 years) were predominantly men (77%) and White (59%), with the highest suicide incidence rate among male cross-country athletes (1:29 per 815 AYs).
- The overall incidence of suicide was 1:71 per 145 AYs.
- Over the last 10 years, suicide was the second most common cause of death after accidents, with the proportion of deaths by suicide doubling from the first to the second decades (7.6% to 15.3%).
- Among men, the suicide incidence rate increased in a linear fashion (5-year incidence rate ratio, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.14-1.53), while among women, a quadratic association was identified (P = .002), with the incidence rate reaching its lowest point in women from 2010 to 2011 and increasing thereafter.
IN PRACTICE:
“Athletes are generally thought of as one of the healthiest populations in our society, yet the pressures of school, internal and external performance expectations, time demands, injury, athletic identity, and physical fatigue can lead to depression, mental health problems, and suicide,” the authors wrote. “Although the rate of suicide among collegiate athletes remains lower than the general population, it is important to recognize the parallel increase to ensure this population is not overlooked when assessing for risk factors and implementing prevention strategies.”
SOURCE:
Bridget M. Whelan, MPH, research scientist in the Department of Family Medicine, Sports Medicine Section, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, was the lead and corresponding author on the study, which was published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
LIMITATIONS:
There is no mandatory reporting system for athlete deaths in the United States, and investigators’ search identified 16 deaths with unknown causes, suggesting reported suicide incidence rates may be underestimated. Additionally, in cases of overdose that were not clearly intentional, the death was listed as “overdose,” possibly resulting in underreporting of suicide.
DISCLOSURES:
No source of study funding was listed. The authors disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.