Mental Health of Student Athletes a Concern in Pandemic

 Mental Health of Student Athletes a Concern in Pandemic 

By Blaine Lidsky 

JRN-100 News Staff 

The mental health of college athletes has suffered since COVID-19 hit last year and curtailed team sports, according to those working with students and a recent survey.  

 

Seth Murray, a student at Stonehill College and a member on the Stonehill men’s Hockey team, is involved in working with student athletes to fight the stigma of mental health with the college group Hope Happens Here. Murray said the pandemic has had a large effect on the student athlete's well-being.  

“There has definitely been an increase in mental health concerns ever since quarantine and lockdown have begun. I can't speak on behalf of Stonehill students, but overall, there has been a dramatic increase in mental health concerns.  So much so that some therapists are no longer accepting clients”, said Murray. 

 

An online survey conducted by the NCAA Research team, called the NCAA Student-Athlete Well-Being Study (Fall 2020), examined the mental well-being of student athletes, division I, II, and III. It was a fifteen-minute, confidential survey administered through the QuestionPro survey software. Nearly 25,000 student athletes coming from all three divisions both men and women completed the survey.  

Students reported lower levels of loneliness than at the beginning of the pandemic, the survey found. In the fall of 2020, many students were able to move back onto campus or live off campus with friends.

 

However, compared to a similar survey in the spring students also reported to still be just as mentally exhausted, anxious, hopeless, and feelings of being depressed. Students who remained remote and fully virtual in the fall semester displayed more mental health concerns as well.  

 

The NCAA Research study stated, “Mental health concern rates were at an all-time NCAA high with student athlete mental health concerns being 1.5-2 times higher than they were pre-pandemic”. 

 

In the survey, along with the loneliness and hopelessness the student-athletes mental health was also impacted negatively from academic worries, the lack of access they had to their sport, Covid health concerns, and financial worries. 

 

Murray agreed. 

 

“The main contributors to this would be not being able to live a “normal” life, not being able to play or practice the sport you love in the manner that you want and adding new parts of your routine such as testing and having to be quarantined are all factors to these concerns. Going from being able to hangout or be with your family or friends whenever, to seemingly being locked down is tough”, Murray said. 

The results from the survey given to the student athletes are calculated by students answering questions such as do u feel overwhelmed by all you do, do you feel mentally exhausted, do you feel sad, do you feel lonely, etc. These questions which are inclusive for any athlete, race, or gender made it possible for any student-athlete to answer so responses from all athletes would be able to be accounted for in the data to make sure the results would be more diverse and not just from one certain group of students. 

 

The results of the questions listed also varied by the class the student was in. For instance, the percent of seniors who answered yes to the questions above were higher in both the spring and fall than other grades.  

 

Murray said senior year has been tough for him. 

 

“As a senior, I can tell you first-hand how disappointed I have been all year and as a result been affected negatively.  I'm someone who prior to Covid was dealing with anxiety and depression, and it seems like the pandemic has only worsened those feelings”, said Murray, a senior on the men’s hockey team. 

 

Student athletes answering the survey said by not being able to spend time playing or practicing their sport they were negatively affect mentally and physically. 

 

The results being 42% of men athletes and 53% of women athlete’s mental health were affected somewhat negatively or strongly negative. At an even higher percentage 48% of men athletes physical condition was affected negatively and 60% of women athlete’s physical condition was affected negatively which is a scary high percentage for both men and women. The chances of athlete's mental and physical health are even more at risk if they are put into isolation for quarantine. 

 

A division 1 women’s swimmer said in the NCAA research study that she is, “so behind due to isolation from Covid. Stressful trying to get caught back up in school while also trying to get back in shape to compete. Body and mind are still recovering from isolation even weeks after”, she said. 

 

Even as some restrictions are being lifted within the NCAA and schools, the pandemic still has an ongoing effect on athlete’s ability to train. 

 

 “Student-athletes indicated that emotional barriers were impacting their ability to train, including a fear of exposure to covid-19(38%), lack of motivation (24%), feelings of stress and anxiety (17%), and sadness or depression (10%)”, the NCAA research study stated. 

 

The study suggested that it will take time to reverse the trend. Coaches interviewed for the study said that student athletes will need additional support. 

“Focus and check in more on the mental health side of the spectrum. A lot of guys have too much pride to admit they’re struggling”, said a division 1 football coach in the NCAA research study. 

 

Murray would agree that coaches need to be more involved with not only their players physical well-being but all mental health. 

 

“I strongly believe it is part of their duty as a coach to make sure their players are 100 percent both physically and psychologically”, said Murray. 

 

Student athletes have an extremely hard time coming forward and admitting to having mental health issues because of the fear of looking weak. But when the time comes that they do come forward it is common that they rarely know what resources the school has and where to find them.  

 

Along with classes, practices, and other stressors this may lead to causing even more stress on the athlete and force them to not talk about it. Another coach, from a division II baseball team, talked about how athletics staff or coaches can support athlete’s well-being. 

 

In the NCAA research study, a division II baseball coach said, “Offer places to get help for mental health. I have been struggling with mental health problems for a few months now and I have no idea where to get help from, but I’m too afraid for what people will think of me to ask”. 

 

Murray said that with help from organizations such as Hope Happens Here students are beginning to seek assistance with their mental health when they need it. 

 

“I believe with the work of HHH, that the stigma of wanting to ask for help and actually going to get help has increased", said Murray. "With HHH so popular on campus now my goal for the club going forward is to work even harder at eliminating the stigma completely so that if there is someone out there who is afraid to go ask for help, will ultimately get up and get help”