Implementation of the International Olympic Committee Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool 1: Screening for Mental Health Symptoms in a Canadian Multisport University Program

• Published in: Clinical journal of sport medicine Vol. 33; no. 1; p. 5
• Main Authors: Mountjoy, Margo, Edwards, Carla, Cheung, Christian P, Burr, Jamie, Gouttebarge, Vincent
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.01.2023
• Subjects: Alcoholism; Athletes - psychology; Canada - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression - diagnosis; Depression - epidemiology; Female; Humans; Male; Mental Health; Sleep Wake Disorders; Universities; Canada
• ISSN: 1536-3724
• DOI: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000001077

To apply the International Olympic Committee Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool 1 (SMHAT-1) to determine the prevalence of mental health symptoms in a cohort of university student athletes over an academic year. A secondary objective was to explore the internal consistency of the screening tools from the SMHAT-1. Cross-sectional design with 3 repeated measurements over an academic year. A large university multisport program. Five hundred forty-two university-level student athletes from 17 sports. N/A. On 3 occasions, the participants completed the SMHAT-1, which consists of the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire. If an athlete's score was above the threshold (≥17), the athlete completed step 2, consisting of (1) Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; (2) Patient Health Questionnaire-9; (3) Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire; (4) Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption; (5) Cutting Down, Annoyance by Criticism, Guilty Feeling, and Eye-openers Adapted to Include Drugs; and (6) Brief Eating Disorder in Athletes Questionnaire. Internal consistency of the SMHAT-1 was also measured. Participants reported mental health symptoms with prevalence of 24% to 40% for distress, 15% to 30% for anxiety, 19% to 26% for depression, 23% to 39% for sleep disturbance, 49% to 55% for alcohol misuse, 5% to 10% for substance use, and 72% to 83% for disordered eating. Female athletes were more likely to suffer psychological strain, depression, and sleep disturbance; male athletes were more likely to report substance use. The SMHAT-1 was feasible to implement with good internal consistency. University-level athletes suffer from a variety of mental health symptoms underscoring the necessity for team physicians to have the clinical competence to recognize and treat mental health symptoms.