Journal of Psychiatry

Mental health screening in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletes: Is the preparticipation evaluation form effective?

2^nd International Conference on Psychiatry and Psychiatric Disorders

May 02-04, 2016 Chicago, Illinois, USA

Elyse Galles

Carver College of Medicine, USA

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Psychiatry

Abstract:

Objective: To evaluate the screening practices and pre-participation evaluation (PPE) forms used to identify college athletes at risk for mental health disorder, particularly depression. Design: Survey and collection of pre-participation evaluation forms for incoming and returning student athletes. Setting: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I universities. Participants: All 347 NCAA Division I universities were invited to submit their pre-participation evaluation forms with forms collected from 219 programs (63%). Main Outcome Measures: Each PPE was screened for the following information: Whether the athlete had a history of any mood disorder or had been seen by a psychiatrist or psychologist, whether the athlete had a family history of depression or other mood disorder, and whether it included any of the National Athletic Trainer Association�??s (NATA) recommended mental health screening questions. Specifically, NATA�??s recommended screening questions include answering yes or no to the following: �??I often have trouble sleeping�?�, �??I wish I had more energy most days of the week�?�, �??I think about things over and over�?�, �??I feel anxious and nervous much of the time�?�, �??I often feel sad or depressed�?�, �??I struggle with being confident�?�, �??I don�??t feel hopeful about the future�?�, �??I have a hard time managing my emotions (frustration, anger, impatience)�?� and �??I have feelings of hurting myself or others�?�. Results: All universities (100%) required a PPE for incoming athletes. Only 4 universities (2%) included all recommended screening questions, 121 universities (55%) included any recommended mental health screening questions and only 99 (45%) screened for the symptom of depressed mood. 5 programs (2%) used alternative standardized screening tools including the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD- 7) scale, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R). Relevant items contained in PPE forms include asking about personal history of mental health disorders or treatment by a psychiatrist or counselor 115 (53%), family history of depression or mental health disorders 43 (20%), family history of suicide 3 (1%). 71 programs (32%) have no mental health questions in their PPE forms. Conclusions: The current PPE forms used by NCAA Division I universities may not effectively screen for depression or other mental health disorders. There is no cohesive sentiment for what constitutes appropriate mental health screening in incoming athletes.

Biography :

Email: elyse-galles@uiowa.edu