Are Elite Female Soccer Athletes at Risk for Disordered Eating Attitudes, Menstrual Dysfunction, and Stress Fractures?
Elite female soccer athletes are susceptible to stress fractures and menstrual dysfunction and have delayed onset of menarche despite normal BMI and appropriate body perception and attitudes towards eating. Further studies are needed to better understand stress fracture risk in female soccer athletes and in other team sports to determine how these findings relate to long-term bone health in this population.
We present social processes that seem to account for gender differences in behavior and response to stress, and psychological explanations for these findings. This study contributes to the field of psycho-oncology by identifying factors that promote adjustment among melanoma survivors.