Abstract 4: Mental Health Screening Practices for Student-Athletes at Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions

Student-athletes are not immune to mental health disorders. Many post-secondary institutions conduct regular screenings to monitor student-athletes’ mental health. In the United States, there exists substantial variability in institutional screening practices (e.g., choice of self-reported questionnaire, referral system), which may affect the rate of early detection of student-athletes in need. Evidence on practices of mental health screenings for student-athletes at Canadian post-secondary institutions is presently absent from the literature. The present study sought to fill this gap. Head athletic therapists at all 56 USPORT institutions across Canada were invited to participate in the study. Staff members from twenty-four (43%) institutions across all four Canadian USPORT divisions completed a Qualtrics survey with Likert scale and open-ended questions. The results revealed that 96% of all participating institutions conducted regular screenings of student-athletes’ mental health using self-reported questionnaires. A large variability in the choice of measures, administration type and frequency was detected. Mental health information was most often shared with the athletic therapy staff and team physicians. In some cases, the information was also shared with the coaching staff. Referral procedures of athletes who were flagged for elevated mental health symptoms varied from no follow-up/unclear procedures to being contacted directly by mental health clinical staff. Underreporting and lack of designated staff hours were mentioned as barriers to the screenings’ effectiveness. While many Canadian post-secondary institutions conduct regular mental health screenings, clear guidelines may aid to decrease the variability in screening practices and improve the mental health care for Canadian student-athletes.