Student Athlete Mental Health Challenges And Ways To Find Support

Being a college student may lead to being pulled in what seems like a million different directions. For student athletes, this pressure can become intense. Understanding the mental health challenges student athletes may face and the support systems students can access to improve their college experience may be helpful for athletes, their loved ones, and academic institutions. 

Challenges college athletes may face at a university

College athletes are often exposed to challenges that other students may not face. They can have significant responsibility placed on them from the beginning of their schooling to their graduation. This responsibility can lead to mental, physical, and emotional challenges, including but not limited to the following. 

Competing demands for student athletes’ time

College can be stressful for students, as they may be experiencing academic pressure, potentially living away from home for the first time, and having a busy social life. Student athletes can have the additional expectation of high athletic performance, which their education may depend on if an athletic scholarship funds their college tuition. Athletes are typically also required to maintain a certain grade point average (GPA) to continue to be eligible to compete. In some cases, colleges may have stringent policies about student athlete GPAs, leading to increased academic expectations. 

Fatigue among university student athletes

A full class load, daily practices, and constant travel for games, meets, and matches can lead to a packed schedule for student athletes, with little time to relax and recover. Physical and mental fatigue and burnout can be common among this population. One student athlete responded to a Duke University survey about athlete well-being by describing how “there are numerous days where I did not go to sleep until 1 am to 2 am and had to wake up at 5:45 am to go for practice and meetings the next day,” an experience that can be common among college athletes. 

Mental health struggles such as body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and sleep deprivation

Because so much of a student athlete’s sense of self-worth can be associated with their physical well-being, student athletes may be more prone to mental illnesses closely related to physical health, like body dysmorphia, insomnia, and eating disorders. Some people may associate eating disorders with the desire to lose weight and restrict food intake, but for student athletes, eating disorders may be more complicated. 

Some athletes restrict themselves to eating only certain kinds of foods or force themselves to eat more food than they want to out of a desire to “bulk up.” Body dysmorphic disorder, considered an obsessive-compulsive and related disorder, causes an obsessive focus on one body part, such as muscles, which can cause someone to work out obsessively. 

Differences in mental health concerns between different identity groups in the student athlete population 

Female athletes are at a higher risk of developing mental health conditions like depression and anxiety than male student athletes. Mental health concerns can also be more likely among BIPOC, queer, transgender, or gender-nonconforming student-athletes. Research indicates that connecting with a mental health provider who shares aspects of one’s identity can be beneficial, so some colleges and universities may seek to diversify their mental health staff to serve their student athletes better. 

Balancing academics and sports

The tension between what can be the two most extensive aspects of a student athlete’s responsibilities, academics, and sports, can lead to the development of mental health symptoms, so balance may be helpful. Some colleges and universities may offer workshops for their student athletes to teach them time management skills that might help them avoid procrastination and high-stress academic situations. Athletes may also find mental wellness by connecting with campus resources and programs that can provide additional support, like a college’s tutoring center or writing center. 

Self-care outlets to address student athletes’ mental health difficulties

Self-care can be a helpful strategy for improving mental and physical well-being and increasing one’s capability to balance various aspects of one's life. Below are a few methods of self-care to consider. 

Participating in activities besides sports

Student athletes may face the challenge of associating their athletic performance with their overall self-worth. Their self-esteem may be negatively impacted if they are having a lackluster season or struggling with injuries. Student athletes may benefit from other activities outside of their sport that can bring additional meaning to their lives. While athletes may have less free time than other college students, there may still be opportunities to build activities other than sports into their lives, such as joining a student club or taking up a hobby like music or art. 

Finding a social support system for college athletes

Research has found that athletes participating in team sports generally report higher levels of overall mental well-being than those in individual sports, demonstrating the benefits of social support. Student-athletes may also benefit from believing they are part of the campus community as much as non-athlete students are. Social support could counteract some of the isolation college athletes experience due to constant traveling and high performance-related pressure. 

How student athletes can bring up mental health issues to a coach

If you are having such a discussion with your coach, be open, honest, and transparent. Explain that you are having a difficult time with your mental health and share the type of support you think you could benefit from. You might also try the following strategy. 

Practice by talking about mental health issues in a lower-stakes relationship, like with a friend

If you are a student athlete and are particularly nervous about having a mental health-related conversation with your coach and your college does not offer a student athlete liaison to support you, you might turn to a friend for support. In some cases, walking through a role-playing conversation with a friend playing your coach could help you feel less nervous about having the discussion in real life. 

Resources for student athlete mental health support

If you are navigating mental health difficulties as a student athlete, there are a number of support options available for you, including the following: 

• College counseling centers: Many colleges have on-campus counseling centers that are free for students to access. Your college’s counseling center may have a dedicated section of staff specifically serving student-athletes. 
• Online therapy: With online therapy through an accredited service, you can connect with a therapist from anywhere with an internet connection, even if you are traveling for matches. 
• National organizations: The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) provides education and care options focusing on the needs of younger adults. 
• Crisis helplines: If you are seeking immediate support, the 988 federal mental health hotline is available. 

Alternative mental health support options for students

College schedules can be all over the place, especially for student athletes. If you are having difficulty finding time to connect with a therapist in person at your college counseling center, online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp could be a helpful alternative. Online platforms allow you to schedule sessions at a time that fits your schedule, including outside of standard school and business hours. In addition, you can choose between phone, video, or live chat sessions. 

Research has indicated that online therapy may be as effective as traditional in-person therapy. One study examining the impact of online therapy on depression and anxiety, two mental health conditions common among student athletes, found that online therapy had similar outcomes in reducing symptoms as in-person therapy.