Structural and social determinants of mental health inequities among collegiate athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

ObjectivesTo characterise psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic among collegiate athletes and assess whether racial and ethnic differences in psychological distress are attenuated when accounting for inequitable exposure to structural and social determinants of health.MethodsParticipants were collegiate athletes on teams competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (n=24 246). An electronic questionnaire was distributed by email, open for completion 6 October to 2 November 2020. Multivariable linear regression models were used to assess the cross-sectional associations between meeting basic needs, death or hospitalisation due to COVID-19 of a close contact, race and ethnicity, and psychological distress.ResultsAthletes racialised as Black had higher levels of psychological distress than their white peers (B=0.36, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.64). Psychological distress was higher among athletes who had more difficulties meeting basic needs, and who had a close contact die or be hospitalised with COVID-19. After adjusting for these structural and social factors, Black athletes experienced less psychological distress than white peers (B=−0.27, 95% CI −0.54 to −0.01).ConclusionsThe present findings provide further evidence of how inequitable structural and social exposures are associated with racial and ethnic differences in mental health outcomes. Sports organisations should ensure the mental health services available for their athletes are appropriate for meeting the needs of individuals experiencing complex and traumatic stressors. Sports organisations should also consider whether there are opportunities to screen for social needs (eg, related to food or housing insecurity), and to connect athletes with resources to help meet those needs.

The progression and mechanisms of mental illness symptoms in university student‐athletes during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…In accordance Also, identifying as a visible minority predicted higher depressive symptoms in the fall of 2020 (intercept) and less reduction in depressive symptoms over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic (slope), compared to those who did not identify as a visible minority. These findings are consistent with two studies indicating that racial and ethnic minority college student-athletes had a high prevalence of psychological distress and a higher risk of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation than white student-athletes prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (Ballesteros & Tran, 2020;Tran, 2020), and that athletes racialized as black had higher levels of psychological distress than their white counterparts during the pandemic (Kroshus et al, 2023). Among these student-athletes, who were already more likely to experience racial stressors (e.g., underrepresentation and discrimination) (Tran, 2020), some may have also faced racial discrimination from reinforced nationalist and xenophobic discourses and racist language widely used on social media (e.g., 'Chinese virus', 'Indian variant') (Gao & Liu, 2021).…”

¿Es posible compaginar fútbol profesional y estudios superiores a partir de los 18 años?

“…• Mental health risk and protective factors occur across settings and over time. Every student-athlete enters the college sport environment with different resiliencies and vulnerabilities because of different individual, family, community and societal experiences and exposures over the course of their life 1,[5][6][7][11][12][13][14][15] . While data from the 2022 ACHA-NCHA survey suggests collegiate sport participation may be a possible protective factor for mental health, student-athletes continue to report mental health concerns 16 .…”