Empirical Development of a Screening Method to Assist Mental Health Referrals in Collegiate Athletes

Abstract

The conspicuous absence of validated screening measures specific to mental health symptomology in collegiate athletes has negatively affected clinical practice in this population. Therefore, this study was performed to develop a sport specific measure to optimally identify collegiate athletes who are particularly likely to benefit from mental health programming. Participants were 289 collegiate-athletes who were assessed for mental health symptomology using the Global Severity Index of Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (GSI), factors that interfere with sport performance using the Problems in Sport Competition Scale (PSCS) and Problems in Sport Training Scale (PSTS), and motivation to pursue professional counseling using the Desire to Pursue Sport Psychology Scale (DSPS). As hypothesized, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that PSCS, PSTS and DSPS scores significantly predicted GSI scores, controlling gender and sport status (NCAA, club, intramural). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that high-risk athletes (GSI T-scores ≥ 60) could be correctly classified by PSTS and PSCS scores. Results suggest the PSCS and PSTS may assist identification of collegiate athletes who are especially appropriate for mental health programs. These scales additionally identify factors directly relevant to athletes’ sport performance.

Mental health screening: severity and cut-off point sensitivity of the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire in male and female elite athletes

“…The need for validated athlete-specific questionnaires that are acceptable and appropriate for measuring mental health symptoms in the athlete environment is increasingly manifest. 12 The APSQ was designed specifically with the athletic context in mind, relative to behaviours that may indicate underlying distress in sports settings. The results of the present analyses not only support the use of the APSQ among both male and female elite athletes, but provide a validated range of cut-off points, reflecting moderate, high and very high scores.…”

Mental Health In Elite Athletes: Increased Awareness Requires An Early Intervention Framework to Respond to Athlete Needs

“…Mental health screening should be included alongside routine physical health checks by medical staff as part of a comprehensive framework. Screening items should be sensitive to the elite context [50, 51] and should be designed to provide feedback to athletes to help promote improved self-awareness, such as their mental state and triggers for symptoms. Critical times to screen are following severe injury (including concussion) and during the transition into, and out of sport [1], and the lead-up to and post major competitions may also be periods of higher risk.…”

Preliminary psychometric validation of a brief screening tool for athlete mental health among male elite athletes: the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire

“…Interest in the domain of elite athlete mental health is reflected in recent consensus statements outlining mental health symptom identification and management in sports-specific and elite environments (Henriksen et al, 2019;Moesch et al, 2018;Reardon et al, 2019). There is also growing interest in the development of athlete-specific screening and identification processes for the early identification of mental health problems in this population (Donohue et al, 2019;Hussey, Donohue, Barchard, & Allen, 2019). While a number of athlete mental health-related measures currently exist, they are relatively lengthy.…”