The Impact Of Physical Activity On Mental Health, Well-being, And Academics Among Students And Student-athletes

PURPOSE: Mental health among student-athletes is a concern that has recently received increased yet inadequate attention. The purpose of this study was to compare the mental health, well-being, and academic performance of student-athletes and the general student population. METHODS: The ACHA-NCHA survey was administered electronically in the spring of 2022. The survey assesses multiple aspects of health. Access to survey results (IRBNET: 1990517) was obtained to examine relationships among physical activity (PA), academic performance, mental health (Kessler K6), loneliness (UCLA Loneliness), suicide risk (Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised), and well-being (Diener Flourishing Scale). Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests of association, and logistic regression analyses were completed using SPSS. An alpha level of p < 0.05 was used for all analyses. RESULTS: A total of 475 participants completed the survey, with 451 non-student athletes and 20 student-athletes. For mental health, 125 (26.3%), 257 (54.1%), and 86 (18.1%) participants had no or low, moderate, or serious psychological distress, respectively. Spearman correlation analyses revealed significant associations between meeting the PA guidelines, meeting PA guidelines for highly active adults, varsity athletics, mental health, loneliness, suicide risk, and well-being (p < 0.05 for each). Chi-square tests indicated there was no association between varsity athletics and loneliness (χ(1) = 0.137, p = .71) or between varsity athletics and suicide risk (χ(1) = 0.545, p = .46). Logistic regression found that meeting the PA guidelines was a significant predictor of GPA and mental health (p < 0.05). Varsity athletics, meeting the PA guidelines for highly active adults, BMI category, year in school, and taking classes were not significant predictors of GPA or mental health. CONCLUSIONS: The primary finding is that meeting the PA guidelines is associated with better mental health and academic performance, regardless of participation in varsity athletics. Involvement in varsity athletics was not associated with loneliness or suicide risk. This research was supported by Minnesota State University, Mankato's Undergraduate Research Foundation Grant.