The mental health status of esports athletes

This cross-sectional study examined the mental health status of esports athletes across different performance levels and esports titles. Using an international sample of 1,105 esports athletes, the study assessed well-being and symptoms of common mental health difficulties, including depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance. The findings showed a substantial mental health burden: 36.7% of participants reported low well-being, 44.7% reported symptoms of depression, 33.4% reported anxiety symptoms, and 69.3% reported sleep disturbances. The study also found that higher-level esports athletes and female players reported higher symptoms of mental ill-health, while female players also reported higher well-being compared with male players.

The article concludes that mental health challenges among esports athletes may be more prevalent than previously reported and highlights the need for context-specific mental health support in esports. Rather than treating esports athletes as a uniform group, the study emphasizes the importance of understanding how competitive level, gender, and the specific demands of esports environments may shape mental health outcomes. The authors call for future research to better explain the causes of this mental health burden and for the design, implementation, and evaluation of targeted interventions that fit the realities of esports performance context.

Citation: Kegelaers, J., Mairesse, O., Van Ruysevelt, L., Trotter, M. G., Watson, M., Pedraza-Ramirez, I., Bonilla, I., Davis, P., Ragnarsson, J., & Van Heel, M. (2025). The mental health status of esports athletes. Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1123/jege.2025-0017

Link: https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jege/3/1/article-jege.2025-0017.xml