| dc.description.abstract | College athletes experience increased prevalence of anxiety, depression, sleep disorder, substance misuse, and eating disorders when compared to general college student population. When suffering from mental illness, signs and symptoms that elite, or professional athletes portray may mimic behaviors that are normative for dedicated athletes with demanding schedules and high-performance expectations. Early identification by athletic staff, coaches, and healthcare professionals is the key to facilitating early intervention. Routine screening for mental health has been proven effective in identifying athletes who are at risk for, or currently suffering from mental health disorders. Early identification, intervention and treatment offer athletes a better outcome.
The purpose of this project is to identify Division I college athletes who may be at risk for, or currently suffering from mental health illness. The mental health of the athletes was assessed over the duration of pre-season to mid-season of the indoor competitive sport season to determine if psychosocial distress is positively correlated with the progression of the sport season. The Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool 1 (SMHAT-1) was administered via Qualtrics survey to freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior track and field athletes at a Midwestern University pre- and mid-season to evaluate the trend in psychological well-being. | en_US |
