In the high-pressure world of college sports, where every game counts, there’s a silent struggle that often gets overlooked—mental health. Behind the glory of winning seasons and personal bests, many college athletes are dealing with significant mental health challenges. The pressure to balance academics, intense training, and the expectations can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding mental health in sports can make it hard for these athletes to reach out for help. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the real mental health stigmas faced by college athletes and explore how we can create a more supportive and open environment.

In the world of college athletics, stigma surrounding mental health remains a significant barrier to seeking help. Robert Hilliard and colleagues’ article, “Stigma, Attitudes, and Intentions to Seek Mental Health Services in College Student-Athletes,” sheds light on this pervasive issue, revealing that many athletes are reluctant to access mental health services due to fear of judgment and potential damage to their athletic careers (Hilliard et al., 2020). This perception is reinforced by a competitive sports culture that often equates vulnerability with weakness. Moreover, the study notes that athletes frequently experience internalized stigma by believing it reflects poorly on their mental toughness. The reluctance to seek help due to these stigmas underscores the critical need for initiatives that foster a more supportive environment and challenge the prevailing notions that mental health issues are a weakness rather than a common and treatable aspect of overall well-being.

Now that we have discussed the stigma surrounding the college athletics community, let’s discuss the resources we can provide to our athletes. If athletes have a more positive attitude, then they are more likely to have help-seeking intentions and behaviors (Harris & Maher, 2022). This is a step in the right direction when it comes to undermining the stigma that surrounds our community. Creating a positive environment allows our athletes to have a positive attitude. That positive environment encourages our athletes to get help for a particular issue, whether its drugs, alcohol, or mental health. Many NCAA Division II and III institutions must rely on their campus counseling centers to serve their student-athletes. Counseling center directors at these institutions would be wise to hire at least one individual with some training in sport psychology to act as a liaison with athletics while simultaneously being able to help meet the colleges ‘other counseling needs (Harris & Maher, 2022). Adding and utilizing this resource reduces that stigma and encourages these athletes to get help by performing pre- and post-participation screenings and improving outreach efforts. University counseling centers generally operate on standard business hours that can be inconvenient to the schedules of student-athletes (Harris & Maher, 2022). We are responsible for our athletes, and we need to guarantee that when our athletes leave the gym, field, athletic training room, or campus that they are equipped and aware of the resources they have to get the help they need.

     In the past, we have seen mental health take a backseat when it comes to the well-being of athletes, especially in college. The first step to reducing this stigma and the effects it has on our athletes is to recognize that there is a disconnect between our athletes and their mental health. The mental health challenges faced by college athletes are often overshadowed by the intensity of competitive sports. As we’ve explored, the stigma surrounding mental health in athletics can create a harmful cycle where athletes feel pressured to mask their struggles rather than seek the support they need. By providing accessible mental health resources, we can start to dismantle the barriers that prevent college athletes from getting the help they deserve. It’s time to redefine strength not as the absence of vulnerability but as the courage to address and overcome it. By doing so, we can ensure that college athletics not only champion physical excellence but also nurture the mental well-being of those who make the game possible.

REFERENCES:

Harris, B. R., & Maher, B. M. (2023). Student-Athlete Mental Health, Help-Seeking, and Service Utilization: Implications for a Multi-Tiered, Public Health Approach on College Campuses. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 37(4), 371–390. https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2022.2109548

Hilliard, R. C., Watson II, J. C., & Zizzi, S. J. (2022). Stigma, attitudes, and intentions to seek mental health services in college student-athletes. Journal of American College Health, 70(5), 1476–1485. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1806851