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

Supporting Student-Athlete Mental Health: NCAA Division I Coaches' Experiences, Perceived Role, and Barriers
Author: Kelsey Kinnamon
Publisher:
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2021
Genre:
ISBN:

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

College Coaches' Experiences, Knowledge and Attitudes to Support Student-Athlete Mental Health
Author: Cathy Osmers Rahill
Publisher:
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2020
Genre: Coaches (Athletics)
ISBN:

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.

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

Female Collegiate Student Athletes and the Perception, Attitudes and Experiences of Psychological and Mental Health Services
Author: Breonna Bejaran
Publisher:
Total Pages: 42
Release: 2020
Genre: Help-seeking behavior
ISBN:

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.

Exploring Mental Health Help-seeking Behaviors in Student-athletes

Exploring Mental Health Help-seeking Behaviors in Student-athletes
Author: Geana R. Shemak
Publisher:
Total Pages: 118
Release: 2021
Genre: Mental health
ISBN:

Introduction: Adolescents and young adults experience a high level of mental health conditions.These disorders appear to be increasing in number and severity. The prevalence rate for 18-25-years-olds is 8.7% in 12 months. Mental health conditions are treatable, yet many people do not seek professional help. Seeking help from a professional source is particularly important for preventing, early detection, treatment, and recovery from mental health conditions. Purpose: The purpose of this mixed-methods study is to demonstrate the prevalence of depression, explore student-athletes attitudes towards seeking mental health help, understand what factors may influence help-seeking behaviors, and explore the athlete's perceptions of the role that athletic trainers play in the assessment and referral process. Methods: An exploratory, concurrent mixed methods design was used. Survey data from the ATSPPH-SF and PHQ-9 were collected from collegiate student-athletes. A phenomenological approach will guide the qualitative research process. Semi-structured interviews will be audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using an interpretive thematic analytical approach. Study Participants: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) student-athletes participating at the Divsion III (DIII) level. Results: The prevalence of depression was almost 42% in the study population. There was no relationship between PHQ-9 scores and sex. Attitudes towards seeking help were generally positive. Females tend to have more favorable attitudes than males, but this finding was not statistically significant. There was no relationhship between PHQ-9 scores and ATSPPH-SF scores. Barriers to help-seeking included perceived seriousness, stigma, lack of time, accessibility, prefer to handle issues on own, and cost. Facilitators to help-seeking included perceived and nee-problems that were serious enough to warrant help and a supportive network. Clinical Importance: As we continue to address the mental health crisis, it is imperative to understand what prevents student-athletes from seeking professional psychological help and develop supportive programs to help them overcome these barriers. Certified athletic trainers, coaches, and other athletic personel need to understand the seriousness of untreated mental health conditions and be educated to recognize when an athlete may be struggling with issues beyond their control. Knowing when to refer a student-athlete to a professional is essential in preventing potential unnecessary and irreversible consequences.

Performance and Mental Health

Performance and Mental Health
Author: Tess Milli Atkinson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2022
Genre: Coach-athlete relationships
ISBN:

Many student athletes (SAs) face daily life stressors in their busy lives that are likely to develop mental health symptoms. A majority of SAs experience these subclinical levels of mental health symptoms, but seldom seek out mental health resources because they either are unaware of the negative affect of their symptoms or hold a stigmatized belief towards seeking help. A coach’s role is to promote a safe space for athlete’s struggles and to help them achieve optimal performance in their respective sports, which can improve well-being and be a protective effect against mental illness. This research was a cross-sectional design with the purpose to investigate how coaches’ relationships with their athletes buffer to mental health symptoms, life stressors and performance in SAs. A survey was sent out to eligible student athletes at a Division I institution for two months (n=42). Results show significant Spearman’s correlations between life stressors, the coach-athlete relationship, depression and anxiety, which supports work done by Simons & Bird (2022). Mediation and Moderation analyses showed only some significant direct associations between life stress and depression. While this research evidenced an issue of power, there can be work done to reproduce the analyses that showed insignificance, building on previous work that highlighted social support as a significant moderator to athlete mental health (Kamis et al, 2021).The intent with this research is to understand the mechanisms behind the coach-athlete relationship and how they can affect life stressors, mental health and performance. By understanding these relationships, SA research involvement may be encouraged and be able to provide better support systems for SA mental health.

Barriers of African American Football Student-athletes in Seeking Mental Health Services

Barriers of African American Football Student-athletes in Seeking Mental Health Services
Author: Todd Andrew Wilkerson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2019
Genre: African American college athletes
ISBN:

Nearly half (48%) of collegiate football student-athletes are African American (NCAA, 2018). African American student-athletes face adversity at their respective institutions in the forms of racism and unfair treatment (Hill, Hall & Appleton, 2010). African American male student-athletes face educational stressors, campus stressors and athletic stressors. These stressors consist of academics, family, athletics and social relationships (Miller & Hoffman, 2009). Many African American student-athletes do not seek mental health treatment due to their status on campus (Watson, 2006). However, few studies have examined mental health and barriers for African American male student-athletes when seeking mental health services. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine the role of mental health with African American male Division I football players, as well as the perceived barriers they face in seeking professional treatment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine African American football student-athletes at a Division I, Power 5 institution. Research produced four major themes. Two themes were associated with the first research question. Stress and “We don’t need it.” The second research question identified weakness and silence as major themes. Data suggested that stress played a role in the lives of these participants. “We don’t need it” focused on the participants perception that they did not need mental health treatment. Participants felt that football served as therapy. Data revealed that the second research question was defined by weakness and silence.. Silence was explained by the lack of awareness and promotion of mental health services. The results of this study allow for the NCAA, Coaching Staff’s, Athletic Departments and Communities to provide assistance in seeking mental health treatment and eliminating the barriers associated with seeking mental health treatment. This study will help promote the understanding of African American male Division I football players and how they perceive the role of mental health within their lives. It will also provide clear insight to barriers that this population faces when seeking mental health services. Mental health continues to be an epidemic in the United States that deserves the attention of mental health practitioners, government agencies, the general population student-athletes, coaches and families.

NCAA Division I Student-athletes' Perceptions of how the Coach-athlete Relationship Influences Student-athlete Resilience

NCAA Division I Student-athletes' Perceptions of how the Coach-athlete Relationship Influences Student-athlete Resilience
Author: Sara Marie Erdner
Publisher:
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2018
Genre: Coach-athlete relationships
ISBN:

Resilience in sport has been defined as "the role of mental processes and behavior in promoting personal assets and protecting an individual from the potential negative effect of stressors" (Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012, p. 675). Fletcher and Sarkar's (2012) found that various psychological factors were indicative of athlete resilience such as achievement motivation, social support, focus, confidence, and positive personality. To date, sport psychology researchers have dominantly examined resilience as an individual construct (e.g., Galli & Vealey, 2008; Fletcher & Sarkar; Wagstaff, Sarkar, Davidson, & Fletcher, 2016). However, it is also important to consider how athlete resilience might develop and operate in relationships with important others (e.g., coach). Narrative inquiry (Smith & Sparkes, 2009) was used in this study to explore the stories of seven NCAA Division I student-athletes' lived experiences of how the coach-athlete relationship influenced their ability to be resilient through major stress. Semi-structured interviews were conducted that asked participants about their respective coach-athlete relationship, how power and sociocultural factors influenced this relationship, and in turn, influenced student-athlete resilience. Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis was used for data analysis, which revealed the following themes: (a) Student-athlete core resilience, (b) The W.O.A.T., (c) The G.O.A.T., (d) W.O.AT. coach behaviors, (e) G.O.A.T. coach behaviors, (f) The W.O.A.T., the G.O.A.T., and student-athlete resilience, (g) The effect of coach major stress on student-athlete resilience, and (h) The relational shift: From bad to better, good to great. It is hoped that the findings of this study will be used as a powerful method from which coaches can emotionally connect with the participants' stories in order to better understand how they might operate within the coach-athlete relationship to influence student-athlete resilience.

Prevention and Promotion in Mental Health

Prevention and Promotion in Mental Health
Author: World Health Organization
Publisher:
Total Pages: 46
Release: 2002
Genre: Evidence-based medicine
ISBN: 9789241562164

This document high ights some of the basic issues in the field of prevention and promotion in mental health with special reference to the evidence base. It is hoped that the information given here will assist in wider utilization of appropriate and effective interventions on prevention and promotion towards reducing the burden of mental disorders and in enhancing the mental health of populations.

Understanding the Help-seeking Behaviors of Student-athletes

Understanding the Help-seeking Behaviors of Student-athletes
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 67
Release: 2019
Genre:
ISBN:

This study was aimed at identifying barriers and facilitators that influence help-seeking as well as the effect of implementing an integrated healthcare approach based on current recommendations. A total of 411 student-athletes from 18 intercollegiate teams at a mid-major Division I institution in the mid-Atlantic region completed a 12-item instrument comprised of ten quantitative items and two open-ended questions. The quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS software, and a constant comparative method was used to code responses from the open-ended questions. Findings suggested a prevalence of mental health challenges among student-athletes, especially overwhelming stress, struggles with time management, and anxiety. Female student-athletes seek help more often and are more satisfied with the care they receive from friends, teammates, and athletic trainers. Their male counterparts seek out peers and faculty members for support. There are also gender differences present in the perceptions of barriers and facilitators to seeking care. Qualitative findings were divided into positive help-seeking experiences, negative help-seeking experiences, and neutral/no help-seeking experiences. Conclusions drawn from this study include incorporating stronger and more frequent education on resources for student-athletes, coaches, support staff, and faculty members and establishing a peer support network within the athletics department.