Study finds 79 per cent of Irish jockeys meet criteria for a mental health issue

Fresh research into the wellbeing of Irish jockeys has found that 79 per cent of professional riders meet the criteria for at least one common mental health disorder.

The anonymous online survey, which was completed by 84 professional jockeys in Ireland (more than half the weighing room population), revealed 61 per cent of riders engaged in adverse alcohol use and 35 per cent encountered issues with depression.

The study highlighted potential risk factors as predictors of common mental disorders among jockeys, with 29 per cent acknowledging career dissatisfaction and 26 per cent considering retirement.

The paper, which was published in the Physician and Sportsmedicine journal earlier this month, is the work of Waterford Institute of Technology PhD student Lewis King, who has been supported in his studies by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board.

"One of the key things is to understand jockeys' attitudes and opinions when it comes to reaching out for help," said King.

Fresh research involved the responses of 52 per cent of professional Irish jockeysCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

"It's important to establish why they may not reach out for help and why it can be sometimes left until crisis point to ask for assistance, rather than at an earlier anxiety level."

The high rate of common mental disorders in the study was inflated by the levels of adverse alcohol use, according to King, with the ratio of riders with depression dropping from previous recent research.

He explained: "The rate of common mental disorders would have been greater compared to data from other sports, such as soccer, rugby and gaelic athletes, but a lot of that would have been due to the measure we used to assess adverse alcohol use.

"We were surprised to see the number of jockeys that met the threshold that's classed as adverse alcohol use, around 61 per cent, and that pulled the overall figure up.

"If you remove alcohol and look at disorders of depression, distress and anxiety specifically, the figures would largely be in line with other sports.

"The last study that my supervisor Ciara Losty did found that 57 per cent of jockeys met the threshold for depression, but with our larger sample size we see a reduction for that statistic.

"We don't necessarily know the reasons behind that, but it's interesting for us to see that jockeys are comparable to other elite athletes.

Lewis King: 'It suggests that mental health difficulties might be fairly ubiquitous across all sports, rather than there being a huge jockey issue'Credit: Patrick McCann

"It suggests that mental health difficulties might be fairly ubiquitous across all sports, rather than there being a huge jockey issue."

King believes the high levels of adverse alcohol use among riders in the study could be down to a variety of factors, with a deeper look required to determine how the issue can be addressed.

"Jockeys live very tough lives and they might view it as a relaxation technique for once they get home from the races," he said.

"A couple of beers here and there a few times a week would put you above the threshold and alcohol statistics for Ireland rank the country as one of the highest per capita when it comes to usage, so it could involve a cultural factor too."

He added: "It's something we need to investigate because with jockeys making weight on a daily basis, alcohol does nothing for you from an energy replenishment point of view, as well as the adverse mental health outcomes that are associated with excessive alcohol use."

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