Data show increased stresses on college students, including athletes, across several categories and aspects of life
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Mental Health Weighs Heavier Than Ever on College Athletes During the Pandemic
Data show increased stresses on college students, including athletes, across several categories and aspects of life
Student-athletes’ identities as “athletes” are being eroded as the pandemic prohibits them from returning to competition, exhibiting athletic skills and being among teammates
Unknowns about the upcoming playing seasons exacerbate stress for student-athletes
Availability of mental health support services provided by Division I athletic programs are at a critical stage
The stresses associated with the current pandemic are weighing on college students, as captured in this Inside Higher Edarticle, which summarizes findings from a recent survey conducted by the Healthy Minds Network for Research on Adolescent and Young Adult Mental Health and the American College Health Association. The findings enumerate specific pressures weighing on college students, including how financial stress (e.g., lost summer employment; delayed internships), transitional living situations, and students’ overall mental health states are negatively impacting their academic performance.
Specifically, sixty-six percent of students report the pandemic has caused them more financial stress -- “a known predictor of student mental health,” according to the report on the survey results -- and 35.7 percent say they’ve moved to a new living situation as a result of the pandemic. Prevalence of depression among college students increased since the pandemic caused the closure of campuses this spring compared to fall 2019.
The survey data also reflected the country’s continued struggle with social justice including experiences reported by college students, as 5.5% of students reported experiencing discriminatory or hostile behavior based on their race or ethnicity as a result of the pandemic, and 41% reported witnessing discriminatory behavior online or in person.
The availability of mental health support services is a sore spot right now for college students in light of campus closures and staffing contractions and furloughs, according to the survey. Of the 41.8% of students who attempted to seek mental health care during the pandemic, 23.3% said it had been “much more difficult” to access care, and 36.8% said it was “somewhat more difficult.”
How is the pandemic weighing on college athletes?
In a recent USA Today article, the headline noted college football student-athletes are facing another opponent during the pandemic: mental health. With many college football student-athletes carrying their family’s financial futures on their backs with the possibility of playing professionally, returning to competition is paramount. Even without college football games, the opportunity to continue training on some level, as Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Castiglione noted, is just as critical. With the recent starts and stops that football programs like Michigan State and Rutgers have encountered this summer, finding a modified level of practice and training activities in the fall will be pivotal for these athletes’ mental wellbeing should the college football season move wholesale to the spring.
Even Power 5 football head coaches recognize the absence of athletic activity and team bonding can compromise the mental health of student-athletes. Coaches agree that the continued involvement of student-athletes in training and team activities within the health and safety guidelines and testing protocols are critical outlets in support of their players’ mental health and student-athlete experience.
Research has shown progress when it comes to awareness and concern about male student-athlete mental health by coaches of male sports. Specifically, the 2020 NCAA Goals research study indicated that, since the 2015 NCAA Goals study, more male student-athletes report that their coaches are concerned with their mental health. They also indicate they feel comfortable talking with their coaches about any mental health issues. However, not all findings from the 2020 Goals study reflected well on the state of mental health support services at NCAA institutions. Female athletes reported significantly lower levels of satisfaction in mental health services compared to men, and women’s basketball athletes reported substantially lower rates of perceived coach concern for their well-being compared with their peers.
The present-day motives and aspirations driving college football stakeholders’ desire to play this fall are often attributed to the obvious financial upside of playing college football. Supporting college football student-athletes’ mental health and the opportunity to generate revenue are not necessarily mutually exclusive concepts; however, at a minimum, contemplating all variables is a delicate dance on a tight-rope -- and one that must err on the student-athlete’s health and safety being the primary decision-driver.
For Division I conferences that have not already punted their football seasons to spring 2021, decisions on college football this fall will come down to conference commissioners, university presidents, and athletic directors utilizing the best available COVID-19 data along with counsel from medical experts. The top-line variable guiding that decision must -- as has been stated publicly by those same decision-makers -- be guided by student-athlete health and well-being.
The USA Today article referenced above only focused on college football student-athletes. Although college football is the breadwinner for college sports generally, the headline short-sells the reality that student-athletes---across all sports and not just football—are enduring mental health strains during the pandemic and the stresses are diversified.
One strain that college football student-athletes are far less likely to lose sleep over than student-athletes in other sports is whether their sport will be cut by their university. Student-athletes in non-revenue sports like men’s and women’s soccer, softball, rowing, and others are cheering as much for college football to happen as much as anyone because it means the financial faucet that satiates their non-revenue sport budgets may continue to do so. Whether your sport has a fall schedule is one source of anxiety, but whether it ceases to exist in the coming months or academic year is quite another.
As explained in a recent Athletics Veritas article, most Division I student-athletes are on partial scholarships, and they must turn to other sources to cover the costs of tuition, books, room, board, and other expenses. In some cases, student-athletes can turn to other merit scholarships, grants, loans, or family assistance, but in an economic climate beset by such uncertainty, the latter option may prove to be increasingly intractable.
The bottom line is that the pandemic is exacerbating stress levels for student-athletes. The availability and delivery of mental health support services, including counseling for students, are at a critical juncture for all of higher education and college sports.
In this Friday’s Term-In-Ology, we will provide the NCAA’s recent legislative history that established express expectations for Division I institutions to provide mental health support services and education to their student-athletes.
Athletics Veritas is presented for information purposes only and should not be considered advice or counsel on NCAA compliance matters. For guidance on NCAA rules and processes, always consult your university’s athletics compliance office, conference office, and/or the NCAA.
