Race/ethnicity and Stigma in Relation to Unmet Mental Health Needs among Student-athletes

College student-athletes are at-risk for mental health issues, as well as for not accessing mental health services. Stigma about needing/receiving mental health services is often presumed to be a barrier to mental healthcare but the role of racial/ethnic minority status is largely absent from inquiries on these processes. Utilizing Healthy Minds Study data spanning 2015–2019 (Nweighted = 4,089), this study examined racial/ethnic variations in mental health stigma in relation to mental health psychotherapy utilization for student-athletes. Interaction results suggested racial/ethnic variations. There were no correlations between personal or perceived public stigma and mental health psychotherapy utilization for racial/ethnic minority student-athletes. Conversely, perceived public stigma was tied to mental health psychotherapy utilization whereas personal stigma was linked to unmet mental health need for White student-athletes. While stigma has been presumed to be a driving force of student-athletes’ unmet mental health needs, findings suggest variations based on racial/ethnic minority status and type of stigma.