The stereotypes of student-athletes in television and movies may make it seem that these so-called “jocks” have it all: the easy classes, the scholarships and an incredible social life. But when you leave Hollywood and get back to reality, the student-athletes in the real world don’t have it so easy. In 2013, the National Athletic Trainers Association said the probability of having college athletes on campus with some form of mental illness is a virtual certainty. But why, you may ask? Well, a student-athlete’s daily life includes a complex balancing act of managing practices and games, class assignments and attendance as well as other prior commitments to maintain their scholarship. Not to mention the physical and mental well-being that comes with this high-stress college lifestyle.
According to a research article written in the journal of Athletic Training and Sports Health Care in 2018, student athletes may be affected by stress, anxiety, depression, disordered eating and substance abuse. These issues tend to increase if the athlete experiences a significant injury that prevents them from playing. An article in Athletic Insight states that, ”it can be normal for athletes to have an emotional response to an injury including feelings of loss, anger, and frustration.
Aly Loyd, sophomore psychology major and NSU softball player said, “ I can understand how some student-athletes can get depressed. I just recently had two knee surgeries and it’s been a long road [for recovery]. But I honestly think being a student-athlete helped me through the injury because I know [the staff and my team] are helping me through it and always there for me.”
But other student athletes don’t have the same luxury. Researchers Patricia Ligon argued in a 2012 study that athletes, regardless of injury status, perceive their coaches as either having a positive or negative influence on them. “Negatively viewed coaches are perceived as lacking in understanding, setting goals for the athletes that are not attainable, or applying unnecessary pressure on the athlete. These injured athletes in ego-involving team climates with negatively viewed coaches perceived that coaches cared less, were not directly involved in rehabilitation, were less supportive of athlete’s pain, and pressured the athletes to return to play.”
So injured student-athletes with less supportive coaches are more likely to in turn, perform while injured, overtrain or partake in other negative behaviors to appease coaches requests. NATA says that, “Many of these behaviors positively correlate with depression; however, to what extent this risk taking and unhealthy behavior among student athletes is caused by depression is inconclusive and requires further investigation.”
An article in the Huffington Post suggested that athletic programs in college-settings should look into Sport Psychologist to improve on some of these issues. As they tend to improve mental health skills to facilitate emotional healing and empower athletes to feel in control and connect with others who understand their struggles.
Jaylynne Thomas a sophomore speech-language pathology major and a women’s track and field athlete feels that NSU helps greatly in this area. ”Here at nsu we have a sport psychologist, which not a lot of other schools have. nova actually does a really good job with that kinda stuff and when we do get stressed about school and whatever, we do have a lot of staff [to help] academically too.”
If student-athletes are struggling with depression or other forms of mental health they can reach out to the Henderson Student Counseling Center located at 3440 South University Drive Davie, FL 33328 or by phone at 954-424-6911.
