Issues in Student-Athlete Mental Health: How Can

Student Affairs Help?

Shawn Zeplin, Psy.D.

Staff/ Sport Psychologist

ISU SCS

Redbird Athletics

Introduction • Who am I?

• Why are we here? o Overview:

• What do I do?

• What do we know?

• How can you help?

• Video

What is Sport Psychology?

• Identifying and understanding psychological theories

and techniques that can be applied to sport and

exercise to enhance the performance and personal

growth of athletes and physical activity participants

• Goal is to learn how to consistently create the ideal

mental climate that allows physical skills to flourish and

athletes to perform at their best (peak performance)

• Principles are derived from psychology and may be

phrased in terms of athletic participation, but are

applicable to all areas of life.

Counseling • Many sport psychologists

are trained in counseling/clinical psychology

• The same approaches and theories are used by sport psychologists

• “Athlete” can be conceptualized as a diversity variable

• Stigmas are in place for counseling within athletics, too!

• Multiple relationships – will discuss more later…

Performance Enhancement

• Theories are a bit

different

• Some based on: o Motor Behavior – study of the

psychological and

physiological processes that

affect motor performance

• Motor Control, Motor

Learning

o Motor Development

• Gross, Fine, Graphomotor

o Kinesiology – science of

human movement

o Coaching

Performance Enhancement

• Strategies &

Approaches o Visualization

o Imagery

o Relaxation

• PMR

o Blocked vs. Distributed Practice

o Leadership Development

o Confidence Development

• Where do performance

psychologists practice? o Counseling vs. Performance

Enhancement

o Private vs. Public

Confidence Wave

Practicing Mental Skills • Often helpful to practice mental skills before or after

physical practice o Provides scheduled structure

o Provides generalization to learning

• Mental skills should be incorporated with physical

skill practice ASAP

• Mental skills training should continue the entire

duration of sport participation o New challenges will always arise

Athletes vs. Non-athletes Personalities

• Research suggests…

o no consistent “athletic” personality

o no consistent differences between subgroups of athletes

• Is this surprising to you?

Athletes vs. Non-athletes Personalities

• Why no differences?

o High variability within groups of individuals

o Groups not necessarily distinct (e.g., who is an

“athlete”)

o Personality made up of so many aspects

Sport Behavior

- participation - performance

Personal Factors -demographic

-psychological

-physical

Situational Factors -elements of the task

-social influences

-environmental influences

NCAA Self-Report Study Sport Ave. Sum of Hours spent per week

on Academics and Athletics in Season

Men’s Baseball 73.7

Men’s Basketball 76.5

Men’s Football – FBS/FCS 81.3/79.8

All Other Men’s Sports 68.0

Women’s Basketball 76.5

All Other Women’s Sports 73.4

NCAA Self-Report Study Sport % of Athletes Reporting Spending

“As Much or More Time” on Academics and Athletics Out of

Season

Men’s Baseball 77

Men’s Basketball 69

Men’s Football – FBS/FCS 70/70

All Other Men’s Sports 61

Women’s Basketball 46

All Other Women’s Sports 57

NCAA Self-Report Study DEPRESSION

Student- Athletes Non-Athletes

Male 21% 27%

Female 28% 33%

* Top Factors Contributing to Depression: Relationships, Stress, Sleep Difficulties, Personal Appearance, Personal Health

NCAA Self-Report Study ANXIETY

Student- Athletes Non-Athletes

Male 31% 40%

Female 48% 56%

* Top Factors Contributing to Depression: Academics, Relationships, Stress, Sleep Difficulties, Personal Appearance, Personal Health

© iPerformance Psychology 2014 © iPerformance Psychology 2014

© iPerformance Psychology 2014

Overall Frequency of Issues

Frequency

Performance 62%

Clinical 58%

Combined 21%

© iPerformance Psychology 2014

Frequency of Performance Concepts

Frequency

Concentration 46%

Energy Management 30%

Emotional Regulation 35%

Confidence 23%

Commitment 17%

Imagery 11%

© iPerformance Psychology 2014

Frequency of General Mental Health Concepts

Frequency

Relational Concerns 56%

Identity Concerns 20%

Values 18%

Anxiety 15%

Depression 9%

© iPerformance Psychology 2014

Frequency of Concerns by Gender

Male Female

Performance 44% 82%

Clinical 79% 35%

Combined 24% 18%

Discussion • What has your experience of SA’s been?

• How are SA’s similar to and different from other

students?

• Where do we go from here?

• What questions do you all have?