A fixed point survey on the mental health level ofhigh school female athletes who live in a dormitory life vol. 2

—Comparison between club members registered to play in official games and those serving as replacement players—

Abstract

[Objective] To evaluate the mental well-being of female high school student-athletes devoted to spots club activities under full dormitory conditions.

[Methods] This survey was carried out over 10 years between 2002 and 2011 and accepted 91 (out of 102) third-year club members during this period for the report (response rate: 89.2 %). This sports club participates in interscholastic athletic competitions every year. The survey consisted mainly of a questionnaire survey on club activities and psychological tests using the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) and Profile of Mood States (POMS) forms.

[Results] While more than 70 % of the students felt that the practice was hard, about 90 % of the students were satisfied with overall club activities. The proportion of students with GHQ-12 scores of 3 or more was significantly lower in the regular group than in the replacement group. Scores for depression and anger, as assessed by the POMS, before the interscholastic athletic competition were significantly higher in the replacement group than in the regular group.

[Consideration] The present results suggest the need for strengthening support for replacement players before participating in interscholastic athletic competition for the smooth operation of club activities.