Student Athlete Perception of Mental Health Support at Division II Institutions


Book Description

Over 360,000 student athletes participate in NCAA sanctioned intercollegiate athletic programs each year. Of these student athletes, between 10 and 15 percent, 2 percent higher than their nonathlete counter parts, will experience psychological issues severe enough to warrant counseling (Watson & Kissinger, 2007). While student athletes are at a greater risk to experience psychological issues than non-athletes, they are less likely to seek out professional help (Moulton, Molstad, & Turner, 1997). The author conducted a study of student athletes at a large Division II institution. The study examined the perceptions of student athletes in relation to sport psychologists and mental health support available to them at their institution. Results identified that a large percentage of the student athletes had no knowledge of the mental health services provided by health services on campus. The findings conveyed the hesitancy of student athletes to seek help outside of the athletic department, in regard to mental health issues.




Female Collegiate Student Athletes and the Perception, Attitudes and Experiences of Psychological and Mental Health Services


Book Description

This study explored eighteen National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II female student athletes’ experiences and opinions of help seeking for mental health concerns. A mixed methodological design was used. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected to gain an understanding of help seeking barriers for the participant and their beliefs about help seeking barriers for their peers. Results from the qualitative data identified several themes that assisted in understanding help seeking behaviors. Data suggest that there was a lack of motivation when it came to seek mental health services as a whole by the female student athlete population. Time, lack of understanding as to where to get counseling, as well as lack of information as a whole showed to be the most prominent barriers within the female athlete population. There was also a significant finding involving lack of information and the amount of time the participant has been at the university, showing that the longer they were at the university the less information they had about mental health services. Many themes were also collected such as fear of being misunderstood, as well as feeling there is a lack of qualified counselors and a lack of counselors of the respondents’ own gender and race.




Mind Body and Sport


Book Description




Supporting Student-Athlete Mental Health: NCAA Division I Coaches' Experiences, Perceived Role, and Barriers


Book Description

The opportunity for coaches to play an important role in supporting student-athlete mental health has been increasingly identified (Biggin et al., 2017; Gulliver et al., 2013; Henrikson et al., 2020). Findings suggest that coaches have the potential to help identify athletes who may benefit from mental health services, as well as foster an environment supportive of mental health and help-seeking (Bapat et al., 2009; Bissett et al., 2020). Recommendations have been set forth regarding how coaches may best engage in their role of supporting mental health, however, the literature lacks evidence of what collegiate coaches are actually doing to support student-athlete mental health, what they perceive their role to be, and barriers they face in fulfilling that role. The present study used a generic qualitative approach to explore the experiences of nine National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I coaches in supporting student-athlete mental health. Coaches discussed engaging in a variety of supportive behaviors consistent with recommendations for coaches. However, it appears coaches may lack engagement in supportive behaviors that take place after a referral is made. Coaches perceived multiple roles in supporting student-athlete mental health and discussed a variety of barriers including lack of self-efficacy and insufficient resources. Results of this study can be used to inform future research aimed at designing mental health education resources for coaches.




College Coaches' Experiences, Knowledge and Attitudes to Support Student-Athlete Mental Health


Book Description

The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of college coaches' experiences with student-athlete mental health concerns, knowledge to address these concerns, and dispositions and attitudes toward student-athlete mental health. Although student-athlete mental health has been the subject of previous research, this is the first study to ask college coaches their perspectives on the topic. Data for the study were collected using a Web-based survey with a sample of college athletic coaches who coach male and female student athletes at Division I athletic programs in the Northeastern United States. The study's findings confirm coaches' concern and care for their student-athletes who experience mental health issues, and that coaches agree that their coaching role should include helping student-athletes who experience challenges. Coaches frequently and increasingly encounter student-athlete mental health issues and are actively engaged in helping to mitigate these issues. Coaches for women's athletic teams encountered student athletes with mental health disorders more frequently and experienced higher rates of stress related to student-athlete mental health than coaches for men's teams. Coaches reported high levels of stress and want more institutional support and an embedded mental health counselor within their athletic department. Overall, coaches embrace their roles as first responders to student-athletes struggling with complex mental health issues.







Mental Health in Collegiate Athletics


Book Description

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to assess collegiate student-athlete perception of mental health. A secondary purpose was to develop a list of attitudes and behaviors toward athletes seeking help, and university perception. Methods. Alcorn State University student-athletes were given a survey about mental health in collegiate athletics. One-hundred and ninety student athletes submitted a complete response. Results. There was no significant relationship between the number of barriers and seeking help. There was an overwhelming number of student-athletes that do not believe that Alcorn is prepared to help with a mental health crisis. There was no significant difference between male and female participants for willingness to seek help. Discussion. The number of barriers data was skewed due to the high number of responses for zero and one barrier, but questions could be used for future studies. Many of the student-athletes feel that Alcorn is not prepared and provided several qualitative responses that could benefit the athletic department. Lastly, even though there was no significance between the sexes, it shows that the gap between them is starting to decrease. Conclusion. There are a lot of improvements that could be made to the mental health crisis response. Student-athlete opinions are important and should be used to develop protocols and policies.







Basic and Applied Sciences for Sports Medicine


Book Description

Basic and applied sciences for sports medicine encompasses the various disciplines of sports science including biochemistry and biomechanics. It will be useful to medical practitioners, sports scientists, students and sports coaches.




Factors Influencing and Predicting the Likelihood of Seeking Mental Health Help


Book Description

Collegiate athletes experience mental health concerns at similar rates to non-athlete students, however, the student-athlete population underutilizes professional mental health help with only 10% of those in need seeking services. Criticisms of the extant research on studentathlete mental health help-seeking include studies that lack theoretical guidance, and convenience samples who are not experiencing a mental health issue. The aim of this study was to conduct a theoretically driven investigation assessing factors of help-seeking associated with the Health Belief Model and Reasoned Action Approach while sampling student-athletes who identified as currently experiencing a personal or emotional health concern. More specifically, the purpose of this study was to investigate which factors of help-seeking behavior predict the likelihood that a student-athlete will seek professional help, and to identify the differences in help-seeking factors between student-athletes with a lower likelihood of seeking help compared to those with a higher likelihood of seeking help. Participants were 269 NCAA student-athletes who completed an online survey assessing factors related to their help-seeking behavior. A multiple liner regression reveled that perceived benefits, perceived susceptibility, and perceived attitudes factors were significant predictors of the likelihood that a student-athlete would seek treatment. Results from a one-way MANOVA showed significant differences between the lower likelihood and the higher likelihood of seeking help group on the perceived seriousness, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, instrumental barriers, stigma-related barriers, and the perceived attitudes factors. Additional information gathered in this study suggests the most frequently reported factors which prevented student-athletes from seeking help include a belief the issues they are experiencing is not that serious, or a desire to seek help from a source other than a mental health professional. Findings from this study have implications for athletic departments, campus counseling centers, and future interventions designed to enhance mental health help-seeking.