Beyond the Handicap: A Cross-Sectional Study of Mental Health Amongst Registered Golfers in Spain

The prevalence of impaired mental health (MH) has increased in recent decades. The aim of the study was to analyze the prevalence of impaired MH amongst registered Spanish golfers using the GHQ-28 questionnaire. A cross-sectional online survey was carried out in Spain between March and August 2024 u...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Martín Escudero, María Del Pilar, Fuentes Ferrer, M., Peinado Miguel, Fernando, Jiménez Herranz, E., Jiménez Herranz, María Elena
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/125582
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/125582
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:616.89
golf
physical activity
mental health
sports habits
GHQ-28 (General Health Questionnaire)
cross-sectional study
Spain
sociodemographic factors
prevalence
sports players
Ciencias Biomédicas
32 Ciencias Médicas
Descripción
Sumario:The prevalence of impaired mental health (MH) has increased in recent decades. The aim of the study was to analyze the prevalence of impaired MH amongst registered Spanish golfers using the GHQ-28 questionnaire. A cross-sectional online survey was carried out in Spain between March and August 2024 using a self-administered questionnaire on 298 adult participants. The participants were mainly men (75.1%) over 60 years of age (50.7%) who were married or with a partner (79.5%), and who were active in the job market (56%). Of the participants, 73.5% reported an improvement in MH levels attributed to the game, and 77.2% recommended golf as a way to improve MH. The prevalence of impaired MH was 6.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.1–10.2%). Differences in impaired MHwere found according to age (<=45 years: 28.6%; 46–60 years: 5.0% and >60 years: 4.0%; p = 0.001), marital status (married or with a partner: 4.6% vs. other: 14.8%; p = 0.009) and time of play (morning: 3.3% vs. other: 10.3%; p = 0.015). The prevalence of impaired MH detected was low and these results indicated that such playing habits and characteristics may have a positive impact on the mental wellbeing of golf players.