Mental Health and Perceived Cognitive Decline in Former Elite Rugby League Players With Life Interference Due to Chronic Pain.

OBJECTIVE

To examine associations between life interference due to pain, mental health symptoms, and perceived cognitive decline in former elite Australian rugby league players.

DESIGN

Descriptive cross-sectional study.

SETTING

In-person assessments conducted as part of the Former Athlete Brain Health Research Program.

PARTICIPANTS

Two hundred twenty-nine male former elite rugby league players (mean age = 52.66 years, SD = 13.46, range = 29-89) completed all primary measures. Participants were selected based on prior elite-level rugby league participation.

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE: Pain interference scores from the Brief Pain Inventory were used to categorize participants into typical and high pain interference groups, with the top 25% classified as high interference.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mental health symptoms (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale), resilience (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale), perceived cognitive decline [informant questionnaire on cognitive decline in the elderly (IQCODE)], and alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test).

RESULTS

The high pain interference group reported significantly greater depression (g = -0.81), anxiety (g = -0.75), stress (g = -0.73), worse perceived cognitive functioning (g = -0.48), and lower resilience (g = 0.51). They were more likely to report a history of depression [43.9% vs 24.0%, odds ratios (OR) = 2.48], arthritis (59.6% vs 44.4%, OR = 1.85), headaches (43.9% vs 20.6%, OR = 3.01), and cognitive decline (IQCODE ≥ 3.38: 46.3% vs 21.2%, OR = 3.20). No significant correlations were found with age, education, or concussion history.

CONCLUSIONS

Pain-related life interference is associated with worse mental health, perceived cognitive decline, and reduced resilience in former elite athletes. These findings support the need for holistic and targeted interventions.