CUR - The Council on Undergraduate Research

Mental Health Among College Athletes

Elizabeth Cuvelier, Sydney Cindrich, Dr. Jacob Meyer, Human Sciences, Iowa State University, 1901 Stange Road Ames, IA 50011

Athletic identity describes the extent to which an individual identifies as an athlete. Athletic retirement or the inability to participate for those with high athletic identity may lead to feelings of loneliness and other mental health struggles. The purpose of this project was to analyze the relationship between athletic identity, loneliness, and mental health resource utilization in college athletes. Via online survey, current and past college athletes (n=178) self-reported demographic information, completed the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) and the UCLA 3-Item Loneliness Scale, and were asked questions regarding mental health utilization (e.g., frequency of mental health resource utilization). A logistic regression model provided a non-significant association between athletic identity and loneliness with mental health resource utilization. However, 42% reported they were unaware of the resources available to them. Additionally, there was a weak, negative relationship between athletic identity and loneliness (rspearman(176)= -0.16, p<.05), suggesting a buffering effect of athletic participation for those with high athletic identity. Athletes might experience an increase in loneliness once they transition out of their athlete role. This highlights a large gap in awareness of athlete mental health resources and indicates the need to provide mental health outreach to athletes with high athletic identity.

Additional Abstract Information