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ABSTRACT
Psychological strategies (PS) developed for performance enhancement are common in therapeutic approaches for mitigating mental health risks; however, associations between common PS used by collegiate athletes and such risks are relatively unexplored. Collegiate soccer players (N = 72) completed the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies- Depression scale (CES-D). Results indicated collegiate athletes categorically not at risk for anxiety or depression used PS more, while those at risk reported using debilitative strategies. The lack of emotional control in practice explained the most variance in predicting BAI (29%) and CES-D (36%) scores, while negative thinking in competition explained the most variance in BAI (30%) and CES-D (35%) scores. Findings are discussed in terms of familiarizing athletes with the range of PS and their relevance for mitigating mental health risk triggers in the age of COVID-19.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Julianna Zilli
Julianna Zilli, a Master of Exercise Science, with interests in collegiate athlete mental health and mental skill use, and the relationships among athletic trainers and athletes.
Hayes Bennett
Hayes Bennett, a Doctoral Researcher in Physical Education, writes on both innovative research designs in the field of sport psychology and the developmental processes within the lived experiences of adolescent athletes.
Jim Mensch
Jim Mensch, a Professor of Exercise Science, writes on pediatric sports medicine and socialization of athletic training professionals in non-traditional settings. His most recent publications include “Injuries and referral patterns during basic combat training: an examination of data from the certified athletic trainer-forward program” (MM), and “Concussion knowledge, attitudes, and self-reporting intentions in youth athletes” (JAT).
Eva Monsma
Eva Monsma, a Professor of Kinesiology, focuses on sport psychology and the interrelationships among biological, cognitive, and social development. Among her most recent publications are “Content/face validity of motor skill perception questionnaires for youth with visual impairments: A delphi method” (BJVI) and “Survival of the fittest? II: The role of biological factors and participant motivation throughout a varsity cross-country season” (JSEP).