36th Annual Student Research Conference
The Prevalence of Emotional Support for the Injured Athlete
Daijha D. Wilkes♦* and Isabel Peng♦
Dr. Brandy Schneider, Faculty Mentor
Background: The mental health of athletes is an emerging topic. Athletes use negative coping strategies including suicide, self-harm, disassociation, and alcoholism due to the stress demands from collegiate athletics and academics. Objective: To determine the mental health status and level of support from a midwestern collegiate school. Method: A mental health survey was provided to collegiate athlete participants. Results: Seventy-nine percent of participants reported their mental health status to be positive. Seventy-nine percent of participants reported having mental health support offered by the team. Coping mechanisms utilized included physical activity (74%), humor (70%), and distractions (62%). Conclusions: According to this study, common positive coping strategies tend to be used by athletes who have support from the team to maintain their mental health.
Keywords: mental health, athletes
Topic(s):Athletic Training
Master of Athletic Training
Psychology
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 104-1
Location: SUB Georgian Room C
Time: 8:30
♦ Indicates Truman Graduate Student