594 MEP085 – Comprehensive care model of mental health screening for intercollegiate athletes

AbstractBackground Mental health concerns in collegiate athletes continue to rise and many do not seek care. Athletic programs are exploring prevention efforts to identify athletes in need of support and care models that fit their academic and athletic responsibilities. Objective The goal of this study was to implement a mental health screening care model for college athletes.Design Single screening session and intervention follow-up care. Setting Division I private college in the Southeast US. Participants 350 athletes took the screening tool in spring 2023. 301 consented to their data being used for research purposes. Interventions: The care team included professionals from counseling services, athletic academic advising, and sports medicine staff. Thresholds of moderate and above risk for depression and anxiety triggered a meeting with a care team member to provide support and care options. Suicidality responses triggered immediate intervention by sports medicine staff and counseling services. All athletes were given their scores on the screening tools and resources for care when the survey was completed. Main Outcome Measures: Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and the General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) were administered to assess risk for depression and anxiety respectively. Threshold scores were set at the moderate risk level on each measure. Results Of the 301 consented athletes, 9 triggered suicidality and sports medicine and counseling services intervened immediately. 25 athletes reported depression levels at moderate or above and 27 athletes reported anxiety levels of moderate or above and care team met one-on-one with resources and support for follow-up care. Conclusions This screening and care approach identified athletes that were not previously known to have mental health concerns and provided access to care. The team will administer screening each semester with consideration of typical times of stress for college students to provide support and reduce risk.