How Revelations of Mental Health Issues Harm Recruitment of College Student-Athletes

Mental health issues (MHI) among student-athletes have increased in recent years, yet their true prevalence may be underestimated due to the negative consequences surrounding disclosure for athletes. Coaches play a crucial role in providing social support and reducing stigma, making their perspectives imperative to consider when studying student-athlete mental health. This study investigates how college coaches perceive mental health-related information in the transfer recruiting process. Through a 2 X 2 between-subjects online experiment (n = 155), we explore how student-athletes are perceived when their previous college coach does or does not indicate the athlete experiences MHI. Findings indicate a bias in how coaches report the performance of athletes with MHI, despite recognizing the need to avoid discrimination. These results highlight the dual challenge coaches face in managing their implicit biases and inclusive recruitment processes.