Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 8-15-2025

College/Unit

School of Medicine

Department/Program/Center

Occupational Therapy

Abstract

Abstract

Exploring the Positive Mental Health Effects of Participation in College Athletics

College students participate in sports for positive physical effects, but does this participation increase the students’ mental health positively, too? This research paper seeks to answer this question to determine how occupational therapists and other professionals working with the population of collegiate athletes can have the best outcomes for their clients. While many studies have been conducted to show how sports participation leads to benefits of individuals’ physical health, few studies have been conducted to determine if participation in sports at the collegiate level benefits students’ mental health as well. Additionally, with the few studies that have been conducted, some researchers claim that athletes increase their mental health with sports participation, but other researchers argue that athletes face additional stress from sports participation and ultimately feel a decrease in mental health. To compile information on the impact that individuals feel in the domain of mental health from the participation of sports, a survey– from the platform of Qualtrics– was given to 38 collegiate athletes in West Virginia. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected and analyzed through the STATS IQ feature of Qualtrics. Overall, some positive mental health benefits were identified from the participants in this study, such as increased social participation and time management skills. However, some participants found that sports participation can decrease their mental health through the addition of stress and limited time to work on academic assignments. Further research should be conducted to include a larger sample size to gain more generalizable results besides just participants from West Virginia.

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