Mind, body, spirit, and sport: A systematic review examining the effectiveness of interventions targeting the biopsychosocial-spiritual health of NCAA student-athletes

Examining the framing of mental health in Division I student-athlete handbooks

“…These roadblocks not only prevent college athletes from seeking support, but also to experience elevated mental health symptoms (Drew & Matthews, 2019). Division I college athletes can experience a wide variety of mental health stressors related to managing both athletic and academic responsibilities, transitioning away from home to college, being bullied on social media (Sanderson, 2018), and adverse childhood experiences (Brown et al, 2020). College athletes also have experienced mental health issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as some athletes lost the ability to participate in sport and were limited for a time in how they could communicate with teammates and coaches (e.g., Graupensperger et al, 2020;Newman et al, 2023).…”

“…Mental health has become an increasingly important topic for college athletics and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has become concerned about college athletes underutilizing mental health services (Brown et al, 2020). On the NCAA's website, it lists a "Mental Health Best Practices" section that includes four practices: clinical licensure of practitioners providing mental health care, procedures for identification and referral of college athletes to qualified practitioners, pre-participation mental health screening, and health-promoting environments that support mental well-being (Mental health best practices, n.d.).…”