Depressive Symptoms in the Young Athlete after Injury: Recommendations for Research

It has been well documented that a serious injury to an athlete can cause psychological symptoms such as depression. However, much of the literature focuses on the collegiate athlete. Little is known about the prevalence of depressive symptoms in the young athlete who experiences an injury that adversely affects the ability to compete in his/her selected sport or may end athletic participation altogether. As sports specialization becomes increasingly widespread and age of participation becomes younger, depressive symptoms may be found in child and adolescent athletes. The purpose of this article is to examine the existing literature on depressive symptoms in young athletes who experience sports injuries and increase the awareness of the potential psychological concerns. More research is needed to examine depressive symptoms in the young athlete after a debilitating sports injury.