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.

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.

The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of social media on the mental health of student-athletes. A survey was created that included both social media use and a variety of mental health measures. After contacting over 100 Division I, 20 Division II, and 20 Division III institutions, 5 Division I, 2 Division II and 2 Division III schools agreed to participate. This survey was then sent out to the institutions across the 3 NCAA divisions. In total, 94 student-athletes completed the survey in its entirety. The survey included quantitative and qualitative questions. Qualitative findings suggested student-athletes perceive positive impacts of social media use as communication, stress relief, and motivation. Meanwhile, they perceived negative impacts of social media use including vulnerability, procrastination, and loss of sleep. Quantitative data from a multiple regression analysis indicated there were higher levels of depression/anxiety in the Division II and graduate student populations. Additionally, a negative relationship was identified between female student-athletes, self-esteem and Facebook use. The findings of this exploratory research identify that social media does impact student-athlete mental health. Because of this finding, athletic departments should make an effort to educate themselves and student-athletes on the danger.

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.

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. .

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.