Kicking the Blues
A Dissection of Student-Athlete Mental Health
Photo by Eric Becker
Story by Siena Mariani
“I can't. I have soccer.”
Since the age of five, Katie Watt has probably said this sentence hundreds if not thousands of times.
Now a 23-year-old college senior, Watt has played for a number of different soccer teams, and even has a national championship under her belt. Putting on a happy face is second nature, and you can almost always catch Watt on campus with a huge smile, greeting friends on their way to class.
Despite her success and general positive attitude, however, Watt still has difficult days, and trying to leave negative thoughts off the field can be easier said than done.
“One of our team values is “Flip the Switch,” she explains. “So [you] come onto the field [and try] to leave everything else that happened in your day, or that you're feeling, off the field. But there are days when you're not happy and don't want to have to put on a performance.”
Student-athletes also face the stress of a busy lifestyle, having to constantly balance the many obligations of their sport with academic and social demands. Without much control over practice and travel times, they may have to select coursework on the basis of it being able to accommodate their schedules. This can lead to academic stress, grade fluctuation, and delayed paths to graduation.
Additionally, physical injury is a common catalyst for mental struggles. Many athletes associate injury with performance failure, which can lead to anxiety and depression. Katie is no stranger to this phenomenon. After suffering a serious concussion in 2019, she began to struggle with her mental health in new ways.
Watt said she “had never experienced anxiety” until after the concussion. “So many athletes suffer these kinds of injuries, and it will literally alter your brain chemistry,” she said.
University of Michigan Health predicts that 5-10% of athletes will suffer from a concussion in any given sports season. After suffering a concussion, it is common for adolescents to experience a variety of cognitive symptoms, such as being easily distracted or more forgetful than normal. Emotional symptoms are common as well, including increased stress, depression, and anxiety.
Living with these internal battles can be exhausting, and can also have a profound impact on athletic performance. Athletes’ win-loss records may decline, and some may experience a compromised execution of skills. In 2019, an NCAA survey recorded that 30% of participating female student-athletes felt that “difficulties were piling up so high” in the month prior that they “very often” or “fairly often” felt they could not overcome them. Among the participating male athletes, that figure was about 25%.
So why not just ask for help?
“I think one of the things with depression is just the feeling that you’re alone. The only way to push past that is to have conversations about it with the people around you and be vulnerable,” Watt says.
But being vulnerable with strangers can be hard, and the idea of visiting professionals daunting. Almost all college sports teams in the United States have an onsite psychologist who works directly with team members and coaches, but fear and stigma often prevent students from accessing these resources.
Performance psychology consultant Bill Cole’s personal website notes that people typically do not visit physicians except for their annual checkup or if they have an ongoing medical problem. In contrast, people do not tend to visit clinical psychologists for annual checkups, but only when they believe they have a problem. Cole believes that this general tendency accounts, in large part, for the negative public image surrounding sports psychologists.
Encouraging students to make use of their school psychologists is an important step, according to Cole, who also advocated for the normalization of professional psychological analyses. Cole said all athletes should be encouraged to make at least one visit to a professional, to more properly assess if they might be able to benefit.
Another key factor influencing the mental state of student-athletes is the individuals working behind the scenes.
Within college athletics, coaches and administrators play pivotal roles in fostering team success by establishing a positive environment. Watt attributes much of her team’s success to the creation and maintenance of an environment in which players are encouraged to grow close, and communicate actively with teammates and mentors. In college athletics especially, coaches must not only be skilled in their craft, but also need to be equipped with the right tools for identifying and addressing mental health challenges in student-athletes. Furthermore, collaboration is a good indicator of success in this realm. Statistics have consistently highlighted the benefits of close coordination between coaches, athletes, and mental health professionals.
There has been extensive controversy surrounding coaching styles that prioritize intimidation or fear tactics to inspire athletes to higher levels of performance. While it is true that pressure can sometimes push individuals to perform better, this sort of approach perpetuates stress and anxiety. Fear tactics can lead to short-term results, but they always have long-term consequences.
“You look up to your coaches, sometimes like an ultimate role model,” explains Watt. “I hear stories of coaches degrading [players’] bodies and yelling at them at all times. How much does that do for your mental well-being, compared to having a coach that sits down and talks about it?”
Dr. Jessyca Arthur-Cameselle, Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology at Western, provided some further insight: “Coaches who use what researchers call a ‘controlling style’ tend to use rewards and punishments as the main way to control athletes' behavior, and they typically do not give athletes much of a say or control over what happens at practice.”
Amidst the negative, some stories of heartwarming success stand out, and the profound impact of coaches who choose to take a more supportive approach is clear.
“We didn't have the best start to [the 2022] season, and on a stat sheet you would never [have thought] that we would be the ones to win that national [championship],” said Katie. “It was because on and off the field, [the players and] our coaches had the best understanding of one another. We felt excited to show up to training every day, because we were around people that we care about and love and want to push to get better instead of degrading one another.”
Having leaders who prioritizes breaking down these stigmas, as well as leading with positivity and patience, is essential to protect athletes’ mental health.
“If you have a coaching staff that you know are going to have your back regardless of what mental state or physical shape you're in, it fosters a better place to play and feel safe and comfortable in,” says Katie.
So, how do we move forward?
Destigmatizing mental health is an ongoing battle within the sports community, but baby steps are being taken. In the age of social media, conversations about mental health have already become more normalized, with decorated athletes like Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, and Aly Raisman speaking out about their own struggles with mental health, substance abuse, depression, and sexual trauma.
Aside from these interpersonal tactics, Dr. Arthur-Cameselle also has some more clinical suggestions.
“I would like to see athletes have more autonomy in creating their weekly schedules. Many college athletes experience burnout and injury, so I would also love to see athletic departments prioritize preventative measures, like using sport psychology skills – for example, having experts come in to lead mindfulness training, or relaxation training, to help athletes prevent issues before they become a problem.”
Highlighting athletes’ autonomy, as well as emphasizing the mental health stigmas within college sports programs, is essential for fostering successful teams. Western has many resources available for students, including a sports psychologist and mental performance consultant that are embedded into the athletics department. Dr. Arthur-Cameselle is hopeful that these sorts of resources continue to be made available to students.
Overall, empathetic leadership and positive role models committed to destigmatizing mental health issues can play huge roles in encouraging open communication among team members, coaches, and staff. When athletes feel supported, their sport can be a positive outlet, a place to escape when life’s other struggles feel overwhelming. When athletes feel good mentally, they are more likely to be motivated, confident, and capable of giving their best efforts to their sport, inevitably leading to widespread team success.
“I think even starting with your teammates is a huge first step,” says Watt. “Then, your coaches, your coach’s bosses, and the school.”