The Perceptions, Barriers, and Facilitators to Seeking Mental Health Help in College Student-Athletes (PBaS-MH and PFaS-MH): A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, one in 10 NCAA student-athletes reported feeling so depressed that it was difficult to function. Despite this, student-athletes are significantly less likely to seek mental health help than their non-athlete peers. The present study sought to develop and validate the Perceptions of Barriers to Seeking Mental Health Help in Student-Athletes (PBaS-MH) and the Perceptions of Facilitators to Seeking Mental Health Help in Student-Athletes (PFaS-MH) surveys in college student-athletes, as well as determine predominant barriers and facilitators they experience with seeking mental health help. A convergence mixed-methods research design was conducted to triangulate results. The surveys were administered to 550 student-athletes at one NCAA Division II university. Three hundred and twelve (56.7%) student-athletes completed the quantitative portion, while 277 (50.4%) completed the qualitative portion of the surveys. Qualitative analyses revealed that awareness was the predominant theme regarding mental health literacy. The predominant barrier themes were self and accessibility, while the facilitator themes included accessibility and community. Quantitative analyses revealed that the PBaS-MH and PFaS-MH demonstrated excellent reliability ɑ=0.924 ɑ=0.960, respectively. One factor (eigenvalue = 9.685) explained 32% of the variance, and one (eigenvalue = 14.429) explained 48% of the variance for the PBaS-MH and PFaS-MH, respectively. The development of this survey is the first step towards accessing mental health barriers and facilitators in student-athletes, but further research is necessary to assess mental health help-seeking behaviors in this population in a larger sample.