Self-Reported Mental Health Measures of Incoming Collegiate Student-Athletes With a History of COVID-19
Date
2023-11-16
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Athletic Training
Abstract
Background
People with a history of COVID-19 may experience persistent neuropsychological disruptions such as lower satisfaction with life, depression, and anxiety. Although student-athletes are at low risk for severe COVID-19 complications, the effect of COVID-19 on mental health has not been elucidated.
Objective
To compare patient-reported mental health outcomes for incoming collegiate athletes with (COVID+) or without (COVID−) a history of COVID-19.
Design
Case-control study.
Setting
Laboratory.
Patients or Other Participants
A total of 178 student-athletes, consisting of 79 in the COVID+ group (44.3%; age = 18.90 ± 0.16 years) and 99 in the COVID− group (55.6%; age = 18.95 ± 0.16 years).
Main Outcome Measure(s)
Participants completed the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Unadjusted 1-way analyses of variance were conducted across all patient-reported outcomes. Analyses of covariance were calculated to determine the interaction of COVID-19 group, sex, and race and ethnicity on outcomes. Post hoc Bonferroni testing was performed to identify specific differences between groups. A χ2 analysis was computed to compare the number of athletes in each group who met the standard clinical cut points.
Results
We observed a between-groups difference for HADS depression (P = .047), whereby athletes in the COVID+ group had higher ratings (2.86 ± 0.26). We found group differences for the SWLS (P = .02), HADS anxiety (P = .003), and STAI state anxiety (P = .01) such that all scores were higher for the COVID+ group in the adjusted model. Post hoc testing revealed that female student-athletes in the COVID+ group had worse HADS anxiety (P = .01) and STAI trait anxiety (P = .002) scores than individuals in all other groups. We did not demonstrate differences between groups in the percentage of responses below established diagnostic thresholds.
Conclusions
Incoming collegiate student-athletes who reported a previous COVID-19 diagnosis displayed higher depression scores, suggesting that clinicians may need to provide appropriate identification and referral for mental health conditions. However, we were encouraged that most participants, regardless of a history of COVID-19 diagnosis, had mental health scores that did not exceed established diagnostic threshold values.
Key Points
- Differences in mental health for student-athletes with and those without a history of COVID-19 were below the established clinical cut points for satisfaction with life, anxiety, and depression.
- Female student-athletes reported worse anxiety than male student-athletes, regardless of their COVID-19 history.
Description
This article was originally published in Journal of Athletic Training. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-0554.22. © by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, Inc
Keywords
patient-reported outcome measures, psychiatric status rating scales, life satisfaction, coronavirus
Citation
Melissa N. Anderson, Caitlin A. Gallo, Scott W. Passalugo, Jake M. Nimeh, Thomas A. Buckley; Self-Reported Mental Health Measures of Incoming Collegiate Student-Athletes With a History of COVID-19. J Athl Train 1 October 2023; 58 (10): 895–901. doi: https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-0554.22