Mental health in sports students: a cohort study on study-related stress, general well-being, and general risk for depression

Previous research on mental health in sports students often focused on individual aspects (e.g., stress, well-being, and risk for depression) instead of looking at mental health in its entirety. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to offer a more comprehensive analysis of mental health by focusing on the specific target group of sports students and examining study-related stress and its relationships to general well-being and general risk for depression at different points of time during their studies. The sample consisted of 648 sports students (413 male, 234 female, 1 other). The students belonged to one of three cohorts of sports students in Germany (first-year BA students; BA students in their final stages; MA students). Mental health was measured with study-related stress, well-being, and risk for depression. Overall and depending on aspects of mental health, between 5% and 20% of sports students showed rather poor mental health. More than 50% sometimes or rather frequently exhibited study-related stress. 21% of sports students showed impaired well-being levels and 11% had an increased risk for depression. Differences occurred between cohorts (i.e., more advanced sports students had poorer mental health). Moreover, the results of the regression analysis revealed that study-related stress is a predictor of well-being and risk for depression in sports students. The longer sports students studied, the lower was their experienced mental health. Possible explanations could be increasing study-related requirements or upcoming graduation (i.e., exams, fear of the future). Future research should examine causes of impaired mental health in sports students.