Mental Health Amongst Student-Athletes
Understanding how student-athletes are affected by a low mental state and how they can improve their mental state.
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University of Maryland Sport Psychology recognized the patterns that some student-athletes were struggling to maintain adequate academic standards.
The University of Maryland Sport Psychology currently distributes questionnaires regarding mental health to student-athletes at the beginning of the school semester. UMD Sport Psychology wanted to further investigate how to better assist student-athletes who may be experiencing mental health issues throughout the school year.
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User Researcher studying student-athletes mental health at University of Maryland, College Park
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January 2021- May 2021
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Learn about how track and field student-athletes are impacted with a low mental state and how they can improve it during school and competitions.
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UX research, interviews, qualitative data analysis, writing research report
Student-athletes juggle being students, athletes, all while trying to maintain a social life. Due to the pandemic, low mental state rates rose among student-athletes. In an effort to understand how the pandemic impacted student-athletes performances in academics and competition, I interviewed 18 track and field athletes.
Methodology
Recruitment
This qualitative study was built on a Qualtrics survey consisting of a track and field sample of 72 track and field athletes. We screened participants based on whether they agreed to be contacted in the future for an interview, their school classification, ethnicity, struggled with one or more mental health issues, and seeking more resources to better manage their mental health.
From the survey, there were a total of 18 participants out of 72 (25%) panelists who provided valid contact information. 6 respondents (33.3%) indicated their school classification were 4th-year seniors and they indicated struggling with balancing school and academics. According to mental health articles, these were athletes who were most significantly impacted by low mental health. I reached out to all 18 respondents via email and 10 (55.5%) participants responded. Of the 10 respondents, three did not respond to follow-up emails and two did not attend their scheduled interviews after multiple attempts. Data saturation was reached after interviewing 5 participants.
~sample recruitment email to the right
Participant details. Racial and ethnic diversity was on par with that of the U.S.; Women were over represented in our sample. The majority of participants’ mental health reflects they've been impacted ranging from 0-3 months.
Interviews
Interviews were conducted via phone to remind participants of their scheduled interview time and leave voicemails. I asked questions to compare student athletes mental health state while in school and when they are on break. The goal was to understand how they tried to improve their mental health, experiences utilizing digital resource tools, challenges, and self care strategies. The interview was 30 minutes. Our research team compensated interview participants with their choice of a School gift shop, Terp Fuel or Target gift card worth $15 USD for interviews lasting 30 minutes.
The Student-Athlete
Results
While student-athletes are on break they reported having a better mental state. Students reported they were more active in social gatherings, fitness, and balancing activities. This includes spending time with friends and family, being less stressed, wanting to go out more, enjoying hobbies(swimming, running, cooking), and much more.
However, during the school semester, their mental health started to decline. Balancing school, athletic practices, athletics competitions, work, and maintaining a social life was very difficult for the track and field athletes which presented challenges. The energy and motivation they had when they were on break soon left once school was in session. Their mindset got distracted due to all the worry and stress they balance while being full-time student-athletes at the university.
Therefore results indicated that the break athletes are given when school is not in session provides time for athletes to have less stress and anxiety while doing what they love in their free time. All track and field athletes reported their struggles balancing school and academics. I briefly bullet the challenges student-athletes face and share the strategies and techniques they can use to improve their mental state.
Challenges Track and Field Athletes Experienced
Decrease in the mental state once school was in session
Difficulties hearing back from sports psychology in a timely manner
No face-to-face communication with sports psychology due to covid-19
Only hearing from sports psychology once a year during annual physical
Limited resources to help improve mental state
Strategies and Techniques used to Improve Mental Health
Informing Sport Psychology staff of issues with the new and improved contact information system.
Taking time aside to meditate and relax
Sleep for the recommended 8 hours, full rest, and lessen stress
Monthly group activity with sport psychology department to go over stressors as a team
Eat well-balanced meals; athletes tend to focus on sport and forget to help fuel for competitions healthy nutrients are vital
Research Design Changes
Have a more diverse group of participants (only 20% of participants were males)
Use a more powerful qualitative data analysis tool
More colorful diagrams showcasing results
Next Steps
Future work will examine all student-athletes mental health experiences during the school year and compare regular students’ mental health experiences during the school year. This will help me look at data to see how each group may be impacted.