Student-athletes as a subgroup on college campuses experience challenges related to their dual identities. Similarly, to their non-athlete peers, student-athletes face stress related to enrollment in addition to stressors related to athletic participation. The institution, individual athletic departments, and the NCAA govern participation in collegiate athletics, and have the ability to greatly affect the culture and experience of being a student-athlete. The combination of student and athlete identities imposes a need for this subgroup to be monitored and acknowledged by the overarching entity that is athletic departments. Although there are some models of best practices in supporting student-athlete mental health, the varying degrees of supports is call for concern. In a quantitative analysis, this study surveyed NCAA athletic department personnel from a variety of institutions. Using one-way ANOVA and multiple regression analysis’ to identify participant’s respective institution’s mental health supports, NCAA division, financial aid, and money allocation were evaluated. Participants included in this study mostly consisted of athletic academic staff and athletic administration through the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals listserv. The findings of this study presented a discrepancy between supports provided and NCAA division and money allocated. The study also found a significant difference between providing a support and mandating the use of supports. .

This volume is a critical and objective study of the contemporary college student athlete. Framed around the process of recruitment, transition, and support of student athletes in higher education, the volume is a response to societal pressures to reform college athletics. Driven by publicity and the potential for revenue gains, colleges and universities have invested heavily in developing athletic programs, coaches, and facilities. Yet few resources are invested strategically in the personal and intellectual development of student athletes. Written by a team of authors with first-hand experience working with student athletes and transitional programs, the volume argues that institutional attention must be directed at caring for the personal and intellectual growth of student athletes. Highlighting some best-practice curricula and exploring the psychological issues surrounding participating in often highly-competitive athletics, the authors consistently conclude that institutional responsibility is of the utmost and immediate importance. Authors also consider the unique settings of student athletes in community and private liberal arts colleges, demonstrating the broad interest in athletics and institutional competition. The result is an important volume that will be of interest to those who counsel and administer intercollegiate athletic programs, faculty and researchers looking for insightful baseline data on the contemporary student athlete, and those concerned with transitional programs and the future of higher education.

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.

"College student-athletes are an at-risk population for negative mental health. Numerous factors are associated with an increased susceptibility to mental health issues, including academics and athletics (Breslin, Shannon, Haughey, Donnelly, & Leavey, 2017; Neal, 2012; Rice et al., 2016; Yang et al., 2007). To address the numerous mental health issues experienced by college student-athletes, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), with the help of field experts in mental health and student wellness, developed a mental health guide to implement within athletics departments (National Collegiate Athletic Association, 2016). The document, Inter-Association Consensus Document: Best Practices for Understanding and Supporting Student-Athlete Mental Wellness, promotes training for those athletics department personnel who have direct interaction with college student-athletes. Among these, athletic trainers play a pivotal role in preventing injuries, overseeing rehabilitations, and promoting the overall well-being of college student-athletes, including both physical and mental health well-beings. Athletic trainers are in an ideal position to recognize and to refer student-athletes to advanced care for mental health issues, but lack the formal training to confidently perform these skills (Cormier & Zizzi, 2015; Kamphoff et al., 2010; Vaughan, King, & Cottrell, 2004). Additionally, there is limited research available studying athletic trainers' confidence during the referral process, both non-crisis and crisis situations. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the referral knowledge and self-efficacy of college athletic trainers before and after completing the USA Mental Health First Aid (MHFA-USA) course, which has improved confidence levels in other populations (Massey, Brooks, & Burrow, 2014; Moffitt, Bostock, & Cave, 2014; O'Reilly, Bell, Kelly, & Chen, 2011). College athletic trainers (n = 8) participated in the MHFA-USA course and completed pre-, post- and one-month follow-up surveys as well as focus group interviews assessing mental health referral knowledge and self-efficacy levels. Results showed significant efficacy improvements from pre- to post-course, and participants maintained those improved confidence levels at one-month follow-up. Furthermore, the athletic trainers consistently stated the course was helpful and useful in intervening during mental health situations. Additional research with larger samples may provide greater insight of athletic trainers' confidence levels with referrals of college student-athletes for mental health issues with the help of the MHFA-USA course."--Abstract from author supplied metadata

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.

Making the Connection: Data-Informed Practices in Academic Support Centers for College Athletes is practical and ideal for those who seek to use research to inform their individual and organizational practices. This volume is primarily intended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, though scholars, researchers, teachers, practitioners, coaches, athletics administrators, and advocates of intercollegiate athletics will also find it useful. It comprises a series of chapters that cover a wide range of evidence-based approaches designed to enhance the practices of those who work closely with college athletes. Given the breadth of the field overall, this single volume is not exhaustive, but the current concerns, challenges, and themes of relevance to higher education researchers, practitioners, and others are well addressed. The intent of the text is to spark conversation about how college and university constituents can reframe their thinking about the importance of innovative research to careful, informed practice. Likewise, the contributors hope that it will inspire greater awareness and action among practitioners, as well as advance scholarship in the area of athletics. Each chapter includes current research, and in some cases theoretical perspectives, which should assist practitioners enhance the well-being of college athletes. Each chapter also offers guided discussion questions that are ideal for use as the basis of further conversation in the classroom setting. Adopters of this text will benefit from leading voices in the field who delve into complex issues, shedding new light and presenting unique opportunities for understanding a diversity of perspectives on evidence-based practices in support centers for athletes. In all, this volume provides a rich portrait of data-driven practices designed to assist practitioners and others who work closely with college athletes, and lays the groundwork for an ambitious and long overdue agenda to further develop innovative research that informs the practices of athletics stakeholders and improves the quality of experiences for college athletes.