Mental Health Concerns Among Collegiate Athletes Decreased: A Prospective Analysis During COVID-19

During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, collegiate athletes endured many general life stressors, lost access to sport-specific resources, had their sport seasons canceled, and suffered disruptions to their athletic identities. Collegiate athletes reported elevated mental health concerns in Spring 2020; however, less is known about how such concerns evolved as the pandemic progressed. Thus, we examined changes in collegiate athletes’ mental health status from April/May 2020 (T1) to August/September 2020 (T2). The rate of collegiate athletes’ ( N = 1,829) mental health concerns decreased significantly across this transitional phase of the pandemic; however, prevalence rates of depression and psychological distress remained high at T2. More women athletes experienced these elevated levels of concern. These results support the need for continued monitoring of athletes’ mental health and will inform sports medicine and sport psychology professionals regarding athletes’ evolving mental health care needs during times of crisis and transition.