Depression, anxiety, and suicidal behaviors in a large-scale national survey of student athletes versus non-athlete college students: risk and protective factors

Objective: This study investigates the prevalence and risk factors of internalizing disorders and suicidal behaviors in student-athletes and their non-athlete peers.

Participants: The sample consisted of 223,226 college students (69,404 student-athletes [31.09%]) who participated in the NCHA-ACHA II survey (Fall 2015-2018).

Methods: Items from the NCHA-ACHA II were used to assess severity of depression, anxiety, and suicidal behaviors. Chi-squared Test of Independence and multinomial logistic regressions were used to examine self-reported internalizing symptoms, previous diagnosis, previous use of mental health resources, and suicidal behaviors within student-athletes and non-athletes.

Results: Findings indicated high rates of internalizing symptoms. Student-athletes, both varsity and intramural/club, displayed decreased odds of internalizing symptoms, self-reported mental health diagnosis, and suicidal behaviors.

Conclusions: This study with a national sample expands previous studies showing concerning rates of mental health difficulties, student-athletes demonstrated lower odds. These findings highlight the importance of further research and need for targeted intervention within this population.