Student-Athlete and Athletic Trainer: The Mental Health Relationship

Abstract

Each year, thousands of student-athletes participate in collegiate athletics. Participation in collegiate athletics offers distinguishing advantages, such as apparel, endorsements, social prestige, money and popularity. Despite the privileges, studentathletes are not immune to mental health illnesses and conditions. The unique pressures and demands directly impact the physical, psychological, social, behavioral, and emotional health and well-being of the student-athlete. It is important to understand the barriers, as well as the facilitators, toward mental health help-seeking that have resulted student-athletes being underserved and underrepresented. An essential component to improving the recognition and management of student-athlete mental health is the understanding of the athlete-athletic trainer relationship and the perception of the athletic trainer as a mental health resource.