Stigma, attitudes, and intentions to seek mental health services in college students-athletes.
Hillard RC, Watson JC 2nd, and Zizzi SJ. J Am Coll Health. 2020 Sep 2:1-10. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2020.1806851. [Epub Ahead of Print].
To encourage student-athletes to use mental health services, we may want programs to address stigma and improve attitudes.
College student-athletes have highly regimented schedules and increased pressures to perform both athletically and academically. Almost 1 in 4 collegiate athletes report clinically meaningful levels of depression. While there are often additional support services available for athletes, athletes underutilize mental health services. One reason for not seeking mental health services is stigma, which is a belief or perception of beliefs that seeking these services are undesirable and individuals who seek help are socially unacceptable. However, to encourage student-athletes to receive needed services we need to understand how willingness to seek counseling relates to stigma, attitudes, and intentions to seek counseling. Hillard and colleagues surveyed college athletes to study the relationship between public stigma, social network stigma, self-stigma, attitudes, and intentions to seek mental health counseling. A total of 312 student-athletes from 3 NCAA Division II or III universities (224 males) completed the survey. The survey had several tools to collect data on demographics, stigma, and attitudes towards using mental health support: The Perceptions of Stigmatization by Others for Seeking help scale (PSOSH), The Stigma Scale for Receiving Psychological Help (SSRPH), the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale (SSOSH), the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help-Short Form (ATSPPH-SF), and The Mental Help-Seeking Intention Scale (MHSIS). The authors found 1) public stigma (reflecting a belief in what society thinks) related to self-stigma (personal beliefs), 2) self-stigma related to attitudes towards using mental health support, and 3) these attitudes related to intentions to seek mental health support. They also found that participants who previously received mental health support were more likely to have better attitudes toward mental health support. Finally, student-athletes reported being most likely to seek help for drug problems, depression, and excessive alcohol. In contrast, they were least likely to seek help for sexuality, difficulty with friends, and body image.
Overall, this study provides clinicians with information on factors to address when developing programs to increase the use of mental health services among college student-athletes. While the investigators did not evaluate a specific strategy to increase the use of these services, it may be impactful if clinicians develop educational strategies to de-stigmatize mental health services and improve attitudes. This study’s findings may suggest that prior positive interactions with mental health services can improve an athlete’s attitudes towards these services. While effective programs need to be developed and tested, clinicians should educate and discuss mental health services with athletes in ways that de-stigmatize them.
Questions for Discussion
What mental health services do you have available to you in your current setting? How have you worked with these offices or individuals to help de-stigmatize the seeking of mental health services?
Written by: Kyle Harris
Reviewed by: Jeffrey Driban
Mental health issues and psychological factors in athletes: detection, management, effect on performance and prevention: American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Position Statement-Executive Summary
Mental Health in Elite Athletes: International Olympic Committee Consensus Statement (2019)
Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS) Position Statement: Principles of Mental Health in Competitive and High-Performance Sport
EPA guidance on physical activity as a treatment for severe mental illness: a meta-review of the evidence and Position Statement from the European Psychiatric Association (EPA), supported by the International Organization of Physical Therapists in Mental Health (IOPTMH).
Stigma, mitazamo, na nia ya kutafuta huduma za afya ya akili katika wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu-wachezaji. Hillard RC, Watson JC 2nd, na Zizzi SJ. J Am Coll Afya. "Mwanzo wa 2020: ""Siku ya kwanza ya maisha"" (Sep. 10, 2020) - ""Siku ya kwanza ya maisha"" (Sep. 10, 2020) - ""Siku ya kwanza ya maisha"" (Sep. 10, 2020) - ""Siku ya kwanza ya maisha"" (Sep. 10, 2020) - ""Siku ya mwisho ya maisha"")" [Epub Ahead of Print] Ili kuwatia moyo wanafunzi-wachezaji kutumia huduma za afya ya akili, tunaweza kutaka programu za kushughulikia uchongezi na kuboresha mitazamo. Wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu-wachezaji wana ratiba za utaratibu sana na shinikizo lililoongezeka la kufanya kazi ya riadha na kitaaluma. Karibu 1 kati ya wanariadha 4 wa chuo kikuu wanaripoti viwango muhimu vya unyogovu. Ingawa mara nyingi kuna huduma za ziada za msaada zinazopatikana kwa wanariadha, wanariadha hutumia huduma za afya ya akili chini. Sababu moja ya kutotafuta huduma za afya ya akili ni stigma, ambayo ni imani au dhana ya imani kwamba kutafuta huduma hizi ni zisizohitajika na watu wanaotafuta msaada ni kukataliwa kijamii. Hata hivyo, ili kuwachochea wanafunzi-wachezaji kupokea huduma zinazohitajika tunahitaji kuelewa jinsi utayari wa kutafuta ushauri unavyohusiana na chuki, mitazamo, na nia ya kutafuta ushauri. Hillard na wenzake walichunguza wanariadha wa chuo kikuu ili kujifunza uhusiano kati ya utambuzi wa umma, utambuzi wa mitandao ya kijamii, utambuzi wa kibinafsi, mitazamo, na nia ya kutafuta ushauri wa afya ya akili. Jumla ya wanafunzi 312 kutoka vyuo vikuu vya NCAA Division II na III walifanya utafiti huo. "Kulingana na utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti wa utafiti.""" "Wanahisabu kwamba "" stigma ya umma "" (kuonyesha imani katika kile jamii inafikiri) inahusiana na kujidharau (maoni ya kibinafsi), "" kujidharau "" inahusiana na mitazamo ya kutumia msaada wa afya ya akili, na "" mitazamo hii inahusiana na nia ya kutafuta msaada wa afya ya akili. """ Pia, walipata kwamba washiriki ambao hapo awali walipokea msaada wa afya ya akili walikuwa na uwezekano mkubwa wa kuwa na mtazamo bora kuelekea msaada wa afya ya akili. Mwishowe, wanafunzi-wachezaji waliripoti kuwa na uwezekano mkubwa zaidi wa kutafuta msaada kwa matatizo ya dawa za kulevya, mshuko wa moyo, na ulevi kupita kiasi. Kinyume cha hilo, walikuwa na uwezekano mdogo wa kutafuta msaada kwa ajili ya ngono, ugumu wa kuwa na marafiki, na sura ya mwili. Kwa ujumla, utafiti huu hutoa wataalamu wa matibabu na habari juu ya mambo ya kushughulikia wakati wa kuendeleza mipango ya kuongeza matumizi ya huduma za afya ya akili miongoni mwa wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu-watendaji. Ingawa watafiti hawakuhesabu mkakati maalum wa kuongeza matumizi ya huduma hizi, inaweza kuwa na athari ikiwa wataalamu wa kliniki watatengeneza mikakati ya elimu ya kuondoa utata wa huduma za afya ya akili na kuboresha mitazamo. Matokeo ya utafiti huu yanaweza kupendekeza kwamba maingiliano ya awali mazuri na huduma za afya ya akili yanaweza kuboresha mtazamo wa mwanariadha kuelekea huduma hizi. Ingawa mipango yenye ufanisi inahitaji kutengenezwa na kupimwa, madaktari wanapaswa kuelimisha na kujadili huduma za afya ya akili na wanariadha kwa njia ambazo zinawaondoa. Maswali ya Mazungumzo: Je, una huduma gani za afya ya akili katika mazingira yako ya sasa? Jinsi gani unaweza kufanya kazi na ofisi hizi au watu binafsi kusaidia kuondoa stigma ya kutafuta huduma za afya ya akili? "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika taarifa ya hivi karibuni ya ""Mafunzo ya Afya ya Akili katika Michezo ya Ushindani na Utendaji wa Juu"" (CCMHS) na ""Mafunzo ya Afya ya Akili katika Michezo ya Ushindani na Utendaji wa Juu"" (CPHS) na ""Mafunzo ya Afya ya Akili katika Michezo ya Ushindani na Utendaji wa Juu"" (CPHS), EPA inaonyesha kuwa ""Mafunzo ya Afya ya Akili ya Afya ya Akili ya Akili ya Akili ya Ulaya"" (EPA)."