Relationship Between Psychiatric Symptom Severity and Positive and Negative Experiences with Sport Culture Among Collegiate Athletes

Although mental health professionals have expressed their interest in understanding the relationship between sport culture and mental health, this relationship has yet to be examined using psychometrically validated scales. In this study, the Semi-Structured Interview for Consideration of Sport Culture in Therapy Scale (SSICSCTS; see Donohue et al., 2006) was administered to 59 Club and National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) athletes. The SSICSCTS examines positive (Sport Culture Importance Scale; SCIS) and negative experiences (Sport Cultural Problems Scale; SCPS) with sport culture. Participants were also assessed for psychiatric symptomology using a well-established scale, i.e., the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R; Derogatis, 1994). MANOVA results indicated no significant differences between NCAA and Club athletes on SCIS or SCPS scores. As hypothesized, a regression analysis revealed that the SCPS scores significantly predicted SCL-90-R Global Severity Index (GSI) scores for all athletes, while SCIS was not a significant predictor. These findings suggest negative experiences with sport culture may contribute to poor mental health outcomes, whereas the perceived importance of sport culture does not directly impact mental health symptom severity.