An Exploratory Study on Student-Athlete Mental Health: Personal and Perceived Barriers to Help-Seeking Behavior

Abstract

Student-athletes are more likely to develop mental health problems than the general population. In addition to schoolwork, social networks, family ties, and financial obligations, collegiate student-athletes are required to attend practices, travel for games, attend athletic events, and perform extracurricular duties. The addition of possible injury, overtraining, burnout, scrutiny from the public and/or the media, and consistent pressure to perform results in athletes playing through both physical injuries and mental health problems. Despite the high number of athletes who report needing mental health support, fewer than half seek out mental health services. Research has identified stigma as one of the largest barriers to mental health help-seeking behavior (HSB). Help-seeking behavior has rarely been studied in relation to the larger body of work on mental health stigma in sport. The purpose of this study was to observe and describe student-athletes’ perceived stigma (e.g., what others think) and personal stigma (e.g., what the individual thinks) in relation to HSB. A sample of n = 20 athletes completed an online Qualtrics Survey, which included Link’s Perceived Discrimination and Devaluation Scale, Mental Health Literacy Scale, Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale, Help Seeking Questionnaire, and Student-Athlete Role Behaviors Questionnaire. Results from this study may help develop mental health interventions to improve student-athlete HSB. KEYWORDS: Mental Health; Student-Athlete; Stigma; Help-Seeking Behavior; NCAA; PDDS; MHLS; SSOSH; HSQ; SRBQ