Injury and Coping Among College Athletes

Injuries sustained in practice and competition among student athletes have the potential to dramatically impact athletic and academic functioning while reducing the overall quality of life of the student-athlete. Despite the frequency of injuries sustained during college sports, methods of coping and overall quality of life following injury have been drastically understudied in this population. In professional athletes, sports-related injuries are associated with profound disruptions in both overall mental health and quality life (Rogers et al., 2023). Indeed, athletic injury has been demonstrated to have the potential to even exacerbate existing mental health issues (Rogers et al., 2023), with student athletes disproportionately affected by anxiety and depression (Haugen, 2022). Mental health disturbances during recovery are associated with poor physical recovery outcomes and an increased risk of future injury (Rogers et al., 2023). College athletes may be particularly vulnerable as they often have less access to advanced treatment with fewer financial options. Moreover, college athletes have unique demands placed upon them as they much balance academic, athletic, and often occupational commitments as well. Despite these well-known issues, few studies have directly examined mental health and coping behaviors in cases of college athlete injury. To that end, the present study will employ a mixed-methods approach to examine mental health, quality of life and overall recovery prognosis among college student athletes recovering from injury.