ECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH05
With the growing recognition of the distinction between mental health and mental illness, universities have invested in resources aimed at supporting and protecting student-athletes' mental health. This approach, known as mental health asset building, has emerged in response to both rising performance-related stress and the need to proactively strengthen mental health literacy, help-seeking behaviours, and reduce stigma around mental health. However, we cannot improve what we do not measure. Given the baseline of student-athletes mental health assets is unknown, it is impossible to quantifiably evaluate the effectiveness, needs, and progress of these initiatives. This study aimed to develop a national baseline of student-athletes’ mental health assets. Further, given known mental health disparities faced by minority groups, including race (Gorczynski et al., 2017), sexual orientation (Anchuri et al., 2020), and sex (Kew et al., 2025), this study specifically aims to investigate potential disparities in mental health assets among these groups. To develop this baseline, we measured mental health assets of mental health literacy, self-stigma, and mental health help-seeking alongside demographic information including age, sex, race and sexual orientation to explore potential disparities among minority groups. Preliminary analyses (N = 85; data collection ongoing) found self-stigma was significantly higher for male than female student-athletes, and that non-heterosexual athletes reported higher professional help-seeking intentions for suicidality than heterosexual athletes. These preliminary results (a) offer early insights toward developing a national baseline of mental health assets among student-athletes, (b) highlight the persistent silence surrounding mental health among male student-athletes, reinforcing continued efforts to reduce stigma, and (c) propel novel and critical insight through both significant and theoretically meaningful nonsignificant findings, underscoring the complexity of the mental health asset landscape for sexual minority and racialized student-athletes. References Anchuri, K., Davoren, A. K., Shanahan, A., Torres, M., & Wilcox, H. C. (2020). Nonsuicidal self-injury, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt among collegiate athletes: Findings from the National College Health Assessment. Journal of American College Health, 68(8), 815–823. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2019.1616743 Gorczynski, P. F., Coyle, M., & Gibson, K. (2017). Depressive symptoms in high-performance athletes and non-athletes: a comparative meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 51(18), 1348. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-096455 Kew, M. E., Dave, U., Marmor, W., Olsen, R., Jivanelli, B., Tsai, S. H. L., Kuo, L. T., & Ling, D. I. (2025). Sex Differences in Mental Health Symptoms in Elite Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports health, 17(4), 732–743. https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381241264491
Read CV Lauryn BonsECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH05
Introduction: Mid-adulthood is characterised by substantial occupational, familial, and social demands that may increase vulnerability to both sleep disturbances and mental health difficulties. While it is well established that sleep and mental health are closely linked and exercise affects both positively, most research focuses on single mental health outcomes. Less is known about how subjective sleep characteristics relate to different dimensions of mental health during mid-adulthood, a critical yet understudied life stage. This study aims to first describe the prevalence and severity of mental health problems, sleep characteristics, and exercise frequency in mid-adulthood. Secondly, to examine whether subjective sleep characteristics show distinct associations with different dimensions of mental health, and lastly, to assess whether these associations vary by sex. Methods: Cross-sectional data were drawn from the population-based cohort study The Health Journey. 460 adults born in 1988 and residing in Iceland answered an online questionnaire at age 36 about mental health, sleep and exercise frequency. Mental health was assessed using validated self-report measures of anxiety, depression, stress, and burnout. Subjective sleep characteristics included sleep problems (yes/no) and insomnia symptoms among those reporting sleep problems. Separate regression models examined associations between sleep characteristics and each mental health dimension. Models were adjusted for sociodemographic variables, including marital status, highest level of education, and average household income. Results: 11.6% had moderate to severe frequency of anxiety symptoms, 19.7% had moderate to severe frequency of depressive symptoms, 48.6% had moderate to high symptoms of perceived stress, 18.9% had moderate to high levels of exhaustion, and 45.6% reported having sleep problems. No difference in exercise frequency was found between those with and without a sleep problem. The presence of sleep problems was negatively associated with all mental health outcomes. Significant associations for sex, favouring males, were found for anxiety, perceived stress, and burnout (all p < 0.05), but not for depression. No significant associations were found for the interaction between sleep problems and sex for any mental health outcomes. Conclusion: Icelanders in mid-adulthood have a higher rate of mental ill health than the national average, along with a high prevalence of sleep problems. The presence of sleep problems was negatively associated with symptoms of anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and burnout. These findings highlight the need to address sleep behaviour in the context of mental health promotion especially since those with and without sleep problems did not differ in exercise frequency. Further studies identifying the mechanisms and causes of sleep problems in mid-adulthood are needed to provide optimal support for this population.
Read CV Saeunn Rut SaevarsdottirECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH05