The paradox of mental health versus mental disease in elite athletes: a scoping review

Abstract Aim: To analyze the concepts of mental health and illness as well as the instruments used to measure them in the elite athlete. Methods: The scoping review was conducted using PubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, and Scielo. The keywords "Mental Health" AND "Sport" AND "Athlete" were used to find studies in peer-reviewed scientific journals published in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Studies went through four stages of analysis according to PRISMA guidelines. A total of 179 records were included in this review. Results: Recent studies suggest that health and illness should not be recognized as deviations from the norm, but as a changing construct, varying on a continuum, where, at one extreme, we have health; and, at the other, we have illness even coexisting in an orthogonal way. Between the two extremes, there are degrees of psychological well-being and distress, leading from reduced functioning to effective functioning. This indicates the need for psychological support for both the maintenance and enhancement of mental health. An alarming result was that, although most of the studies investigated mental health, they used primarily instruments focused on illness. This new perspective of health-illness brings the need for the development of new instruments that encompass protective factors and symptom screening. Conclusions: We reinforce the need for a paradigm shift in relation to the mental health of elite athletes understanding it as a changing construct that should be constantly improved and/or maintained. This change led to the need for broader assessment instruments that encompass protective factors and illness symptoms.

Benefícios psicológicos do slackline: relação entre estado de fluxo, tempo de prática e qualidade de vida / Psychological benefits of slackline: relationship between flow state, time of practice and quality of life / Beneficios psicológicos del slackline: relación entre estado de flujo, tiempo de práctica y calidad de vida

Esse estudo teve o objetivo de avaliar e mensurar o nível de estado de fluxo de praticantes de slackline e relacioná-lo com a qualidade de vida dos indivíduos. Foram avaliados 30 sujeitos com idade média de 22 (±3) anos. Os instrumentos utilizados: Ficha de identificação; Flow State Scale-2 (FSS-2), Dispositional Flow Scale-2 (DFS-20) e World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref (WHOQoL-BREF). Para verificar a correlação entre os instrumentos utilizou-se o coeficiente de Spearman, no qual foi possível observar elevados níveis de estado de fluxo e qualidade de vida geral. Foi encontrada correlação significativa entre o fator psicológico da qualidade de vida com a disposição para atingir o fluxo juntamente com o tempo de prática e duração da sessão de treino. Concluímos que a prática do slackline possibilita o desenvolvimento de aspectos psicológicos, como o estado de fluxo e com isso possibilita a melhora na qualidade de vida de seus praticantes.

This study aimed to assess the level of Flow State of slackline practitioners and to relate it to the their quality of life. We evaluated 30 subjects with mean age of 22 (± 3) years. The instruments used: Identification sheet; Flow State Scale-2 (FSS-2), Dispositional Flow Scale-2 (DFS-20) and World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref (WHOQoL-BREF). To verify the correlation between the instruments the Spearman coefficient was used, in which it was possible to observe high levels of Flow State and general quality of life. A significant correlation was found between the psychological quality of life factor and the disposition to reach the Flow along with the practice time and duration of the training session. We conclude that the practice of slackline allows the development of psychological aspects, such as the Flow State and with that allows the improvement in the quality of life of its practitioners.

Este estudio tuvo el objetivo de evaluar el nivel de Estado de Flujo de practicantes de slackline y relacionarlo con la calidad de vida de los individuos. Se evaluaron 30 sujetos con edad media de 22 (± 3) años. Los instrumentos utilizados: Ficha de identificación; Flow State Scale-2 (FSS-2), Dispositional Flow Scale-2 (DFS-20) e World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref (WHOQoL-BREF). Para verificar la correlación entre los instrumentos se utilizó el coeficiente de Spearman, en el cual fue posible observar elevados niveles de Estado de Flujo y calidad de vida general. Se encontró correlación significativa entre el factor psicológico de la calidad de vida con la disposición para alcanzar el Flujo junto con el tiempo de práctica. Concluimos que la práctica del slackline posibilita el desarrollo de aspectos psicológicos, como el Estado de Flujo y con ello posibilita la mejora en la calidad de vida de sus practicantes.