Depression and Collegiate Athletes

The purpose of this study is to examine differences in depressive symptomatology between collegiate club/varsity athletes, intramural athletes, and non athletes. Depression among collegiate athletes is important to study because researchers report that athletes are less likely than non athletes to seek mental health treatment. The current study utilizes data from the spring 2015 American University National College Health Assessment of 1,096 undergraduate students. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted to examine potential differences in depression severity by gender, race, or athletic status and to compare mean stress levels by athletic status. Regression analyses were conducted to examine whether the variables of gender, athletic status, or stress are important predictors of depression. Results suggest that athletic status does not significantly increase or decrease an individual’s risk of depression. However, consistent with previous research, females experience more depressive symptomatology than males (p<.05). Results do not support the hypothesis that athletic participation increases an individual’s risk of experiencing depressive symptoms. The study suggests that athletic involvement is unrelated to an individual’s risk of depression. Future researchers should examine depression risk factor unique to collegiate athletes.