simultaneously balance their athletic and academic roles. Although competing in varsity sport can be rewarding, student-athletes face unique challenges such as extensive time commitments related to practice, travel, and games or competition ( Geiger, 2013 ; Lopez & Levy, 2013 ). A systematic review that
Sara L. Giovannetti, Jessica R.G. Robertson, Heather L. Colquhoun and Cindy K. Malachowski
Bridie Kean, David Fleischman and Peter English
undertaking higher education while training and competing in national and international sporting competitions. Australian student-athletes composed more than 40% of the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic teams, winning 57–61% of the medals ( Knapp, 2012 ; Uniroos, 2016 ). Hence, the Australian Institute of Sport
Jessica L. David, Matthew D. Powless, Jacqueline E. Hyman, DeJon M. Purnell, Jesse A. Steinfeldt and Shelbi Fisher
professional ranks, this phenomenon is not exclusive to professional sport. Similar to their professional counterparts, for many college student athletes Twitter is the social-media platform of choice ( DeShazo, 2016 ; Hambrick, Simmons, Greenhalgh, & Greenwell, 2010 ; Pegoraro, 2010 ; Sanderson & Browning
Graig M. Chow, Matthew D. Bird, Stinne Soendergaard and Yanyun Yang
Alcohol use represents an important mental health issue for student-athletes. Specifically, 77% of student-athletes consume alcohol and 42% engage in binge drinking (i.e., 4 or more drinks for women and 5 or more drinks for men; NCAA, 2018 ). As a result of alcohol use, student-athletes report
Breanna Drew and James Matthews
approximately one-third reported feeling so depressed that it was difficult to function. Within this collegiate cohort, student-athletes represent somewhat of a unique population who may be at increased risk of mental ill-health ( Moreland, Coxe, & Yang, 2018 ). While the mental health of student-athletes is
Robert C. Hilliard, Lorenzo A. Redmond and Jack C. Watson II
College student-athletes are a population that appear to experience mental illness at rates comparable or higher to their nonathlete peers (e.g., Jolly, 2008 ; Moreland, Coxe, & Yang, 2018 ). Highly regimented schedules, time demands, and pressures to be successful academically and athletically
Emily Kroshus, Jessica Wagner, David L. Wyrick and Brian Hainline
participants tend to be healthier physically than the general population, estimates of the prevalence of depression and anxiety are similar between college student-athletes to their non-athlete peers ( Armstrong & Oomen-Early, 2009 ; Kroshus & Davoren, 2016 ; Rao & Hong, 2016 ; Wolanin, Hong, Marks, Panchoo
Rebecca A. Zakrajsek, Leslee A. Fisher and Scott B. Martin
( Zakrajsek, Martin, & Wrisberg, 2016 ). Access to an SPC at an NCAA DI institution was significantly associated with an increase in ATs’ reported use of sport psychology services during injury rehabilitation ( Zakrajsek et al., 2016 ). Specifically, of the 472 (71.6%, n = 659) ATs who encouraged student-athletes
Moira Lafferty and Caroline Wakefield
Making the transition from school to college or university can present many challenges for student athletes ( Wylleman & Lavallee, 2004 ). Often combined with a move away from the security of their home environment, this transition can see these young athletes having to take more responsibility and
Janna LaFountaine
A study of wellness aspects among college student athletes at a mid-sized, church-related, undergraduate, liberal arts college in the upper Midwest was conducted during the 2006-2007 school year. The students were asked by their coaches and team leaders to complete the Wellness Evaluation of Lifestyle tool online. The study sample consisted of 273 college athletes, of which 131 were female and 142 were male. Female college athletes had the highest scores in the following areas: exercise, friendship, and love. The lowest areas were: spirituality, stress Management, nutrition and total wellness. The female athletes scored lower in 14 out of the 20 wellness behavior categories than the male athletes. In the areas of sense of worth, leisure and stress management, female athletes scored significantly lower than the male athletes. Male athletes scored the highest in the areas of exercise, sense of worth and friendship. Male athletes recorded their lowest scores in spirituality, nutrition, work and total wellness. The implications of this study for athletic programs indicate a need to address the specific needs of female athletes compared to male athletes, particularly tactics for dealing with stress, building self-esteem and the use of leisure activities.
