The current study was a pre-post survey of 15 student athletes, two male and 13 females, representing eight sports regarding their mental resiliency and mental health perceptions. The baseline survey was completed during the athlete’s pre-season and the follow up survey during their post-season. Between testing sessions athletes completed mental toughness training with an outside consultant, Thru the Game, Mental Health Support for Athletes. For the purpose of this study, data collection focused on anxiety, depression, and burnout. Significant improvements were found in anxiety, but not depression or burnout.
References
[1]
Alvarez Pires, D., Isoard-Gautheur, S., Madigan, D. J., Smith, A. L., & Gustafsson, H. (2024). Five Unsolved Issues Concerning Burnout in Athletes: An Expert Perspective. SportsPsychiatry,3, 39-46. https://doi.org/10.1024/2674-0052/a000074
[2]
Anthony, D. R., Gucciardi, D. F., & Gordon, S. (2016). A Meta-Study of Qualitative Research on Mental Toughness Development. InternationalReviewofSportandExercisePsychology,9, 160-190. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984x.2016.1146787
[3]
Armstrong, S., & Oomen-Early, J. (2009). Social Connectedness, Self-Esteem, and Depression Symptomatology among Collegiate Athletes versus Nonathletes. JournalofAmericanCollegeHealth,57, 521-526. https://doi.org/10.3200/jach.57.5.521-526
[4]
Bartone, P. T. (2007). Test-Retest Reliability of the Dispositional Resilience Scale-15, a Brief Hardiness Scale. PsychologicalReports,101, 943-944. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.101.3.943-944
[5]
Bauman, N. J. (2016). The Stigma of Mental Health in Athletes: Are Mental Toughness and Mental Health Seen as Contradictory in Elite Sport? BritishJournalofSportsMedicine,50, 135-136. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2015-095570
[6]
Beck, A. T., Epstein, N., Brown, G., & Steer, R. A. (1988). An Inventory for Measuring Clinical Anxiety: Psychometric Properties. JournalofConsultingandClinicalPsychology,56, 893-897. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-006x.56.6.893
[7]
Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., & Brown, G. K. (1996). Manual for the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Psychological Corporation.
[8]
Beck, A. T., Ward, C. H., Mendelson, M., Mock, J., & Erbaugh, J. (1961). An Inventory for Measuring Depression. ArchivesofGeneralPsychiatry,4, 561-571. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1961.01710120031004
[9]
Bird, M. D., Simons, E. E., & Jackman, P. C. (2021). Mental Toughness, Sport-Related Well-Being, and Mental Health Stigma among National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Student-Athletes. JournalofClinicalSportPsychology,15, 306-322. https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.2020-0043
[10]
Cook, C., Crust, L., Littlewood, M., Nesti, M., & Allen-Collinson, J. (2014). “What It Takes”: Perceptions of Mental Toughness and Its Development in an English Premier League Soccer Academy. QualitativeResearchinSport,ExerciseandHealth,6, 329-347. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676x.2013.857708
[11]
Cowden, R. G. (2017). Mental Toughness and Success in Sport: A Review and Prospect. TheOpenSportsSciencesJournal,10, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.2174/1875399x01710010001
[12]
Gordon, S., Anthony, D. R., & Gucciardi, D. F. (2017). A Case Study of Strengths-Based Coaching of Mental Toughness in Cricket. InternationalJournalofSportPsychology,48, 223-245. http://www.danielgucciardi.com.au/uploads/9/7/3/6/9736343/gordon_et_al.__in_press_.pdf
[13]
Gulliver, A., Griffiths, K. M., & Christensen, H. (2012). Barriers and Facilitators to Mental Health Help-Seeking for Young Elite Athletes: A Qualitative Study. BMCPsychiatry,12, Article No. 157. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244x-12-157
[14]
Gustafsson, H., Hassmén, P., Kenttä, G., & Johansson, M. (2008). A Qualitative Analysis of Burnout in Elite Swedish Athletes. PsychologyofSportandExercise,9, 800-816. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2007.11.004
[15]
Hardy, L., Bell, J., & Beattie, S. (2014). A Neuropsychological Model of Mentally Tough Behavior. JournalofPersonality,82, 69-81. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12034
[16]
Kew, M. E., Dave, U., Marmor, W., Olsen, R., Jivanelli, B., Tsai, S. H. L. et al. (2024). Sex Differences in Mental Health Symptoms in Elite Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. SportsHealth:AMultidisciplinaryApproach. https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381241264491
[17]
Kristjánsdóttir, H., Erlingsdóttir, A. V., Sveinsson, G., & Saavedra, J. M. (2018). Psychological Skills, Mental Toughness and Anxiety in Elite Handball Players. PersonalityandIndividualDifferences,134, 125-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.06.011
[18]
Li, H., Moreland, J. J., Peek-Asa, C., & Yang, J. (2017). Preseason Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms and Prospective Injury Risk in Collegiate Athletes. TheAmericanJournalofSportsMedicine,45, 2148-2155. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546517702847
[19]
Lin, Y., Clough, P. J., Welch, J., & Papageorgiou, K. A. (2017). Mental Toughness and In-dividual Differences in Learning, Educational and Work Performance, Psychological Well-Being, and Personality: A Systematic Review. Personal and Individual Differences, 113, 178-183.
[20]
Mack, A. A., Baron, D., & Reinert, J. (2023). The Role of Mental Health Care in Reaching Optimal Performance in Sports. SportsPsychiatry, 2, 121-123. https://doi.org/10.1024/2674-0052/a000050
[21]
National Institutes of Health NIH (2024). Depression:LearnMore—What Is Burnout? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279286/
[22]
NCAA (2024). Mental Health Best Practices:Understandingand Supporting Student-Athlete Mental Health (2nd ed.).
[23]
Powell, A. J., & Myers, T. D. (2017). Developing Mental Toughness: Lessons from Paralympians. FrontiersinPsychology,8, Article No. 1270. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01270
[24]
Proctor, S. L., & Boan-Lenzo, C. (2010). Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms in Male Intercollegiate Student-Athletes and Nonathletes. JournalofClinicalSportPsychology,4, 204-220. https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.4.3.204
[25]
Raedeke, T. D., & Smith, A. L. (2001). Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) [Database Record]. APA PsycTests. https://doi.org/10.1037/t00804-000
[26]
Ramshaw, G., & St Clair-Thompson, H. (2021). The Relationship between Mental Toughness and Subjective Mental Illness Recovery. NewIdeasinPsychology,63, Article ID: 100881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2021.100881
[27]
Rice, S. M., Purcell, R., De Silva, S., Mawren, D., McGorry, P. D., & Parker, A. G. (2016). The Mental Health of Elite Athletes: A Narrative Systematic Review. SportsMedicine,46, 1333-1353. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0492-2
[28]
Swann, C., Crust, L., Jackman, P., Vella, S. A., Allen, M. S., & Keegan, R. (2017). Performing under Pressure: Exploring the Psychological State Underlying Clutch Performance in Sport. JournalofSportsSciences,35, 2272-2280. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1265661
[29]
Thru the Game (2024). AthleteMentalToughnessWorkshop. https://www.thruthegame.com/programs
[30]
Weber, S. R., Winkelmann, Z. K., Monsma, E. V., Arent, S. M., & Torres-McGehee, T. M. (2023). An Examination of Depression, Anxiety, and Self-Esteem in Collegiate Student-athletes. InternationalJournalofEnvironmentalResearchandPublicHealth,20, Article No. 1211. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021211
[31]
Wolanin, A., Gross, M., & Hong, E. (2015). Depression in Athletes: Prevalence and Risk Factors. CurrentSportsMedicineReports,14, 56-60. https://doi.org/10.1249/jsr.0000000000000123
[32]
Yang, J., Peek-Asa, C., Corlette, J. D., Cheng, G., Foster, D. T., & Albright, J. (2007). Prevalence of and Risk Factors Associated with Symptoms of Depression in Competitive Collegiate Student Athletes. ClinicalJournalofSportMedicine,17, 481-487. https://doi.org/10.1097/jsm.0b013e31815aed6b
[33]
Yang, L., Zhang, Z., Zhang, J., & Veloo, A. (2024). The Relationship between Competitive Anxiety and Athlete Burnout in College Athlete: The Mediating Roles of Competence and Autonomy. BMCPsychology,12, Article No. 396. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01888-2