We read with great interest the July issue of the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on athletes. In that issue, Pillay et al. reported that 52% of athletes felt depressed during the lockdown period. There is, however, a lack of baseline data hindering the comparison of these findings to the pre-pandemic prevalence. This prompted us to do an early analysis of our ongoing longitudinal cohort study examining Adjustment Disorder (AjD) in Australian high-level athletes. AjD is a stress-response syndrome centred around preoccupation with a stressor (e.g. constant ruminations), and the failure to adapt to the stressor. AjD is often accompanied by symptoms of depression, anxiety, impulsivity and avoidance. High-level athletes possess proportionally high levels of mental health issues and may be susceptible to AjD. AjD may be exacerbated by the pandemic ; uncertainty about competitions, qualification procedures (e.g. for the Olympics) and training environment restrictions may cause athletes stress in addition to the pandemic itself. Many high-level athletes also face disruptions to study, job loss and subsequent decreased income, further increasing their risk of suffering mental health issues. Our study was originally designed to monitor high-level athletes during a period of adjustment to a specific stressor (injury, relocation, or being on tour/long periods away from home), indicating they were an at-risk group. Importantly, our dataset contains continuous, longitudinal AjD information recorded prior to, throughout, and after the first wave of COVID-19 and lockdown restrictions in Queensland, Australia.
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