National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) student athletes may have more stigmatic views toward mental health (MH) and be less open to talking about or seeking support for MH struggles than their peers. This may contribute to and/or exacerbate existing MH challenges. This cross-sectional study explored the impact of MH stigma, support, and openness on student athletes’ levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among 478 NCAA student athletes representing 20 different sports from 56 universities. Results indicated that male, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and Division I athletes reported higher levels of MH stigma. Compared with their White peers, BIPOC athletes exhibited less openness to talk about MH challenges. Division I and BIPOC athletes felt less supported to seek help for MH concerns. Structural equation modeling showed that MH stigma was positively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress, whereas MH openness was negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Research/practical implications, limitations, and future research and athletic department programming needs are discussed.
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Can We Talk? Exploring the Effects of Mental Health Stigma, Support, and Openness on National Collegiate Athletic Association Student-Athlete Mental Health
Braden J. Brown, Ty B. Aller, Logan K. Lyons, Autumn Jenson, Audrey C. Juhasz, Jakob F. Jensen, and Jennifer L. Hodgson
Psychological Profile of Hungarian International-Level Distance Runners
Bence Kelemen, Renátó Tóth, Ottó Benczenleitner, and László Tóth
The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychological profile of the 2023 Hungarian National Distance Running Team in terms of personality traits, motivational styles, and competitive anxiety and to explore specific psychosocial factors that characterize the athletes’ mental preparation. The 16 international-level competitors were assessed using validated questionnaires in Hungarian (Big Five Inventory, the revised Sport Motivation Scale, and Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2), and university students competing at professional and semiprofessional levels served as the control group. Results indicated that elite distance runners were primarily intrinsically motivated. Their psychological profile appeared similar to profiles found among athletes in the control group. Significant differences were found in traits, such as openness, conscientiousness, and motivation. Neuroticism was positively associated with athletes’ cognitive and somatic anxiety, with self-confidence providing a protective role. Working with a sports psychologist appeared to have no significant measurable effect on athletes precompetition anxiety. Specific personality traits and motivational structures are essential for elite sporting performance. Further research is needed to better understand and determine the specific components of mental preparation.
Volume 18 (2024): Issue 3 (Sep 2024)
Impact of Sport Engagement and Social Support on the Health-Related Quality of Life of Youth Athletes With Physical Disabilities
Myung Ha Sur, Deborah R. Shapiro, and Jeffrey Martin
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a multidimensional concept focusing on the impact of health status on quality of life. The purpose of this study was to examine if sport engagement and sport-specific social support predicted HRQOL among adolescents with physical disabilities. Sixty-eight participants completed surveys assessing sport engagement, sport-specific social support, and HRQOL. Participants had moderate to high perceptions of sport engagement, social support, and HRQOL supporting the affirmation model of disability. Based on a canonical correlation, esteem, information, and tangible social support and sport engagement—confidence—were the strongest predictor variables of the sport engagement/social support variant, which was linked to the HRQOL variant predicted by emotional, social, and school functioning. The findings support the importance of social support and confidence in the sport context for the HRQOL of youth with physical disabilities.
Volume 18 (2024): Issue 2 (Jun 2024)
Effects of Brief Mindfulness Training on Basketball Free-Throw Shooting Performance Under Pressure: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Dosage Response
Jessyca N. Arthur-Cameselle and Linda A. Keeler
Studies have indicated that as little as 15 min of mindfulness training (MT) positively affects sport performance under pressure, but the minimum amount of MT required to induce effects is unclear. The current experiment tested the effects of MT of different lengths on free-throw shooting under pressure. Forty-six participants (78% men) with competitive basketball experience completed pretest mindfulness and anxiety surveys and shot under low pressure. Using performance-based matched assignment, participants were randomly distributed into groups. On another day, participants completed audio trainings (6-min MT, 15-min MT, or control) and then shot under high pressure. Under high pressure, anxiety and mindfulness states did not differ among groups, nor were there group differences in average shooting percentage. However, only the control group performed worse on the second shot under high pressure compared with low pressure, suggesting possible protection effects of MT. Findings are discussed regarding application and possible interactions between traits, motivation, and incentive values.
Mindfulness and Psychological Inflexibility in Portuguese Adolescent Athletes: A Novel Framework for Understanding the Link Between Shame and Sports Anxiety
Sara Margarida Simões de Oliveira, Marina Isabel Vieira Antunes Cunha, António Fernando Boleto Rosado, Mariana Saraiva, and Cláudia Rute Carlos Ferreira
This study aimed to test a comprehensive model in adolescent athletes that explores the effect of shame on sports anxiety and whether psychological inflexibility and mindfulness influence this association. The sample study included 210 young Portuguese athletes from different competitive sports. The path analysis results confirmed the adequacy of the proposed model, which explained 49% of the variance in sports anxiety. Results demonstrated that athletes who experienced higher levels of shame tended to exhibit elevated levels of sports anxiety through lower levels of mindfulness and higher psychological inflexibility. The study offers new empirical data that may be relevant for clinical and sport psychology practitioners. These findings seem to underline the importance of addressing shame and, consequently, sports anxiety in adolescent athletes by developing greater psychological flexibility and, inherently, more mindfulness skills among adolescent athletes who are in a phase of their lives where sport can play a crucial role.
Self-Care and Emotional Competence in Supervision: Helping Clinical Sport Psychology Trainees Foster Professional Well-Being
Erin N.J. Haugen and Kristin Hoff
Within clinical sport psychology (CSP), there is increased attention on factors designed to enhance professional well-being, such as self-care, for practitioners. Emotional competence is a relatively new supervision topic despite it being an ethical imperative within clinical/counseling and sport psychology. CSP trainees deal with stressors that could threaten professional well-being and are complicated by ethical challenges within the sport ecosystem. The purpose of this article is to describe self-care and emotional competence as they relate to the professional well-being of CSP trainees. We offer practical applications for supervisors to consider adopting in their work with trainees. Overall, it is of vital importance that those in CSP attend to their well-being, and we call upon the CSP field to be more intentional about integrating well-being factors into the supervision relationship.
