Trends in Collegiate Student-Athlete Mental Health in the National College Health Assessment, 2011–2019

Abstract

Context Recently, the athletic training community has paid increased attention to collegiate student-athlete mental health, mental health treatment-seeking behavior, and the effects of mental health factors on athletic and academic performance. Ongoing efforts to better educate and equip athletic trainers to help student-athletes in this regard should result in improved mental health–related outcomes. Objective To examine changes in the mental health of student-athletes over the past decade compared with that of nonathlete students. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Colleges and universities in the United States. Patients or Other Participants Varsity athletes (athletes; n = 54 479) and nonathlete students (nonathletes; n = 448 301) who completed the National College Health Assessment between 2011 and 2019. Main Outcome Measure(s) Surveys included responses (self-reported) to questions in 5 mental health–related categories: recent mental health symptoms, recent mental health diagnosis, mental health treatment-seeking behavior, receiving mental health information from the institution, and the recent effect of mental health factors on academic performance. Results Athletes consistently described lower symptom and diagnosis rates compared with nonathletes, except for attempted suicide, substance abuse, and eating disorders. Rates of diagnosis increased over time in both groups but remained lower in athletes. Treatment-seeking behavior and openness to future treatment increased over time in both groups but remained lower in athletes. Athletes received more information on stress reduction, substance abuse, eating disorders, and handling distress or violence compared with nonathletes. Both groups received information more frequently over time. Athletes reported fewer academic effects, especially for depression and anxiety, but these effects grew over time in both groups. The effects of injuries and extracurricular activities on academic performance were greater in athletes than in nonathletes. Conclusions Athletes described overall lower levels of mental health symptoms, diagnoses, and academic effects compared with nonathletes. Whereas the rates in nonathletes climbed over the past decade, the rates in athletes broadly remained flat or climbed less rapidly. Increasingly positive attitudes toward treatment were encouraging, but the deficit in athletes relative to nonathletes persisted. Ongoing efforts of athletic trainers to educate athletes and guide them to mental health resources are needed to continue, or better yet to accelerate, the observed positive trends in information dissemination and treatment-seeking behavior.