Suicide prevention and life after competition

The final bell does not end the risk. This priority is about keeping fighters alive, during their careers and after them.

A priority states what Fight Medicine Research Institute wants answered and why. It is not a study, a finding or a recommendation. Any study must first pass scientific review and independent ethics review under policy R-01.

Why it matters

A career ends, sometimes without warning. Income, routine, identity and the people around a fighter can change at once.

Fight Medicine Research Institute wants to know what is and is not established about suicide risk in current and former fighters, and which supports reach them. This research carries its own risks, so the safety rules come first.

Research questions

What is known about suicide risk in current and former fighters, and what is missing from the record?
What changes at retirement: identity, income, health, daily structure and contact with the sport?
Which supports reach fighters after their careers, and which do not?
How can research on suicide risk be carried out safely for the fighters who take part?

In the research library

The library holds 8 records on this priority. One is a cohort of former athletes from several contact sports, with former amateur boxers as a subgroup.

Mental health symptoms in current and former elite kickboxers
Bilgoe et al., 2025. Discover Mental Health.
Version of recordCross-sectional survey
Published in Discover Mental Health, a peer-reviewed journal
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s44192-025-00328-w
Plasma and MRI biomarkers capture neuronal damage in former professional boxers
Kamps et al., 2025. Scientific Reports.
Version of recordCross-sectional comparison study with a follow-up subgroup
Published in Scientific Reports, a peer-reviewed journal
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93066-6
Comprehensive health assessment of retired martial arts athletes
Alshaer et al., 2025. Frontiers in Aging.
Version of recordDescriptive case-control study (two groups measured once)
Published in Frontiers in Aging, a peer-reviewed journal
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.3389/fragi.2025.1513936
Daytime sleepiness in retired male boxers
Esagoff et al., 2024. International Review of Psychiatry.
Version of recordObservational cohort analysis
Published in International Review of Psychiatry, a peer-reviewed journal
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2024.2364027
Win-loss record, neuropsychiatric symptoms and brain health
Bryant et al., 2024. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.
Version of recordObservational professional-fighter cohort analysis
Published in The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, a peer-reviewed journal
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.20230108
Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its association with rapid weight loss among former elite combat sports athletes in Serbia
Maksimovic et al., 2024. BMC Public Health.
Version of recordRetrospective case-control study
Published in BMC Public Health, a peer-reviewed journal
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17763-z
Suicide and depression in former contact sports participants
Batty et al., 2023. eClinicalMedicine.
Version of recordPopulation cohort study plus systematic review and meta-analysis
Published in eClinicalMedicine, a peer-reviewed journal
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102026
Cognition and brain structure after fighters stop fighting
Zhuang et al., 2022. Neurology.
Version of recordLongitudinal matched cohort analysis
Published in Neurology, a peer-reviewed journal
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000201158

Safety comes first

Before any Fight Medicine Research Institute study collects identifiable information about suicide risk, policy R-02, section 4 requires qualified response arrangements to be in place. This website does not collect that information.