Current:Home > MyNCAA survey of 23,000 student-athletes shows mental health concerns have lessened post-pandemic-LoTradeCoin
NCAA survey of 23,000 student-athletes shows mental health concerns have lessened post-pandemic
View Date:2024-12-23 19:43:41
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An NCAA survey of student-athletes suggests they are experiencing fewer mental health concerns than they did at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but some demographics have shown more improvement than others.
More than 23,000 student-athletes participated in the NCAA Student-Athlete Health and Wellness Study between September 2022 and June 2023. The data shows that mental health concerns have decreased in all three NCAA divisions.
In men’s sports, 17% of respondents said they constantly feel overwhelmed, down from 25%, and 16% reported feelings of mental exhaustion, down from 22%. The most significant decreases came among males in Division I.
The decreases were smaller among women. It found that 44% of women’s sports participants reported feeling overwhelmed (down from 47%), and 35% reported feeling mentally exhausted (down from 38%).
As studies in 2020 and 2021 showed, students of color, those identifying on the queer spectrum and those identifying as transgender or nonbinary once again self-reported mental health struggles at higher rates.
“As schools continue to improve their mental health care services while fostering an environment of well-being, student-athletes will continue to reap the benefits of wellness and mental health care seeking,” said Brian Hainline, the NCAA chief medical officer. “That being said, we need to understand better the gap in perceived mental health concerns between men and women student-athletes.”
The leading cause of mental health concerns is academics-related, the survey showed, while planning for the future, financial worries, playing time and family worries were also key factors negatively impacting their mental health.
Other findings: 40% of women’s sports participants and 54% of men’s sports participants said they would feel comfortable talking with their coach about mental health concerns, a decrease of nine percentage points for women and eight for men.
Nearly 70% of all student-athletes reported having people on campus they can trust to provide support when needed, although only about 50% reported feeling comfortable seeking support from a licensed mental health provider on campus.
The full study will be released next month at the 2024 NCAA convention in Phoenix.
Overall, student-athletes identified the areas of proper nutrition, mental wellness, getting proper sleep, weight management and body image as topics that coaches and administrators should spend more time discussing with their student-athletes.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
veryGood! (53138)
Related
- Bankruptcy judge questioned Shilo Sanders' no-show at previous trial
- Israel is perennially swept up in religious conflict. Yet many of its citizens are secular
- Why is the stock market down? Dow drops as Treasury yields near highest level since 2007
- New York City moves to suspend ‘right to shelter’ as migrant influx continues
- Sister Wives’ Meri Brown Shares Hysterical Farmers Only Dating Profile Video After Kody Split
- Content moderation team cuts at X, formerly known as Twitter : 5 Things podcast
- Kevin McCarthy ousted from House Speakership, gag order for Donald Trump: 5 Things podcast
- Suspect in Bangkok mall shooting that killed 2 used a modified blank-firing handgun, police say
- Congress returns to unfinished business and a new Trump era
- A $19,000 lectern for Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders sparks call for legislative audit
Ranking
- Gerry Faust, former Notre Dame football coach, dies at 89
- Apple releases fix for issue causing the iPhone 15 to run ‘warmer than expected’
- For Alix E. Harrow, writing 'Starling House' meant telling a new story of Kentucky
- Shelling in northwestern Syria kills at least 5 civilians, activists and emergency workers say
- Why Amanda Seyfried Traded Living in Hollywood for Life on a Farm in Upstate New York
- Coach Outlet Just Dropped a Spooktacular Halloween Collection We're Dying to Get Our Hands On
- Tennessee Dem Gloria Johnson raises $1.3M, but GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn doubles that in Senate bid
- Israeli arms quietly helped Azerbaijan retake Nagorno-Karabakh, to the dismay of region’s Armenians
Recommendation
-
Larry Hobbs, who guided AP’s coverage of Florida news for decades, has died at 83
-
Kylie Cantrall Shares the $5 Beauty Product She Takes With Her Everywhere
-
Ciara Shares Pivotal Moment of Ending Relationship With Ex Future
-
Russia launches more drone attacks as Ukrainian President Zelenskyy travels to a European forum
-
Congress returns to unfinished business and a new Trump era
-
11-year-old accused of shooting, injuring 2 teens at football practice is denied home detention
-
Victoria Beckham on David's cheating rumors in Netflix doc: 'We were against each other'
-
Tennessee Dem Gloria Johnson raises $1.3M, but GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn doubles that in Senate bid