Examining the incidence of reporting mental health diagnosis between college student athletes and non athlete students and the impact on academic performance.
Objective: Compare collegiate athletes to non athlete students for mental health diagnosis, treatment, and mental health impacts on academic performance. Participants: Students, including club and varsity athletes, from a large Midwestern U.S. NCAA Division 1 university (N 2167) Methods: American College Health Association (ACHA) NCHA II (2010 2016) survey data were analyzed using chi square tests for between groups differences and gender effects on mental health diagnoses, treatment, and academic impacts of mental health. Results: Compared to athletes, non athletes reported higher rates of anxiety, eating, mood, sleep, and other disorders. Controlling for gender, these differences were not significant. Regardless of gender, athletes sought treatment less often than non athletes. Athletes reported anxiety, sleep, alcohol/drugs, extracurricular activities and injuries as major academic impediments. Conclusions: Mental health diagnosis rates were lower in athletes, but appeared to be an artifact of gender differences between groups. However, less treatment seeking and academic impacts mean that ongoing attention to mental health is vital to student athlete well being.
Journal of American college health J of ACH