On the Frontline of Athlete Mental Health: The Mental Health Literacy of NCAA Coaches
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Abstract
Coachesâ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about mental healthâor mental health literacy (MHL)âaffect teamsâ mental health climates and the detection, referral, and treatment of athletesâ mental health concerns. Thus, assessing collegiate coachesâ MHL, and factors related to its presence, is critical. Using the Mental Health Literacy Scale, 1,571 NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) coaches were surveyed regarding their MHL and demographic and mental health experience factors. Overall, 99.9% of the coaches surveyed believe that athletesâ mental health affected their sport performances. Through hierarchical regression analyses, coachesâ exposure to mental health treatment, perceived helpfulness of mental health treatment, gender (i.e., woman), years coaching (i.e., fewer years), and current NCAA division (i.e., Division III) were significantly related to their MHL, explaining 15.5% of variance. However, coachesâ race/ethnicity did not reach significance. Recommendations regarding increasing coachesâ MHL and hiring appropriately trained and licensed mental health and sport psychology professionals are offered.