Acknowledgment

The Experience of Depression during the Careers of Elite Male Athletes

“…As aforementioned, the experience of depression is seen to be heavily influenced on context ( Cochran and Rabinowitz, 2000 ). It is worth noting that many types of sports have varying demands and differing cultural influences and expectations ( Steinfeldt and Steinfeldt, 2012 ).…”

“…Participants in these studies have consistently described experiences related to; increased interpersonal withdrawal, substance abuse, increased frequency of interpersonal conflict, self-destruction, an over investment in work, avoidance of help seeking and an escalation in anger outbursts ( Brownhill et al, 2005 ; Chuick et al, 2009 ; Oliffe et al, 2010 ). Researchers have hypothesized that learned typical gender norms such as dominance, emotional control, avoidance of femininity, risk taking, pursuit of status and winning, primacy of work and extreme self-reliance encourage the manifestation of these atypical symptoms or “depression equivalents” ( Cochran and Rabinowitz, 2000 ; Mahalik et al, 2003 ; Brownhill et al, 2005 ). While the processes which underlie and are assumed to be involved in the experience of more masculine forms of depression are not directly supported by empirical research ( Addis, 2008 ), indirect evidence broadly supports the theory that traditional masculine cultures shape how men experience, express and respond to depression ( Addis and Cohane, 2005 ; Cochran, 2005 ).…”

“…There is a general consensus within sport psychology literature that elite sport has unique challenges, stresses, and constraints ( Schaal et al, 2011 ). While reflecting on the established necessity to understand depression in the context of the culture in which an individual resides ( Cochran and Rabinowitz, 2000 ), it is imperative that researchers seek to explore the subjective experiences of those living within the environment of elite male sport. This seems particularly important considering the recent suggestion that practitioners have begun to accept that the psychological care of athletes is being delivered without a full understanding of the diagnostic and therapeutic issues unique to this population ( Reardon and Factor, 2010 ).…”

“…This seems particularly important considering the recent suggestion that practitioners have begun to accept that the psychological care of athletes is being delivered without a full understanding of the diagnostic and therapeutic issues unique to this population ( Reardon and Factor, 2010 ). In many ways it would seem prudent to embrace viewpoints from previous commentators who encouraged researchers to move away from a foreclosed focus on measurement and simply ‘ask men’ and in this case ‘elite male athletes’ about their experiences ( Cochran and Rabinowitz, 2000 ).…”

Depressive Symptoms, Self-Esteem and Perceived Parent–Child Relationship in Early Adolescence

“…First, the use of a self-report instrument for depression, without a clinical assessment, did not enable us to formulate a specific diagnosis. Second, the used tool, though one of the most common worldwide, was not able to detect depressive equivalents, namely behaviors masking a depressive suffering (as, for example, antisocial behaviors, alcoholism, and drug abuse) that have been more frequently found among depressed males than depressed females ( Cochran and Rabinowitz, 2000 ). Third, the cross-sectional nature of the current research limited the possibility to draw meaningful conclusions about the cause-and-effect relationship between depressive symptoms and their correlates.…”