Lindenwood Football Program Mental Health
Start Date
23-4-2026 12:00 AM
Description
Student athletes often navigate intense academic, athletic, and social pressures, yet many do not seek the mental health support they need. This project focuses specifically on the mental health beliefs, attitudes, and help-seeking barriers among student-athletes within the Lindenwood University Football Program. Primary data were collected through an anonymous Qualtrics survey distributed to 100 rostered football players, aiming to capture their perspectives on stigma, comfort levels, perceived barriers, and awareness of available mental health resources. Data were analyzed using SPSS with descriptive frequencies to identify patterns unique to this team environment. The study is grounded in existing research highlighting that fewer than half of student-athletes experiencing mental health concerns seek care, often due to internal and external pressures. Findings from this project provide insight into how athletes perceive mental health support and what factors may encourage or discourage them from accessing services. This research has meaningful implications for designing targeted interventions, improving athlete-centered mental health education, and informing broader efforts to enhance well-being within collegiate sports programs.
Research Highlights
The Problem: Collegiate football athletes face unique mental health challenges driven by high performance demands, academic-athletic balance, and a "tough it out" culture that creates a stigma around seeking help.
The Method: This study employs a mixed-methods design, utilizing semi-structured qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys adapted from the Perceived Stress Scale and help-seeking questionnaires to assess the Lindenwood University football program.
Qualitative Finding: Major stressors include balancing academic and football responsibilities, performance expectations, and leadership pressure; athletes identify coaches, teammates, family, and counseling as key support systems; cultural stigma and "toughness" norms act as primary barriers to mental health conversations.
Recommended Citation
Freeman, Tayvon, "Lindenwood Football Program Mental Health" (2026). 2026 Student Academic Showcase. 13.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/src_2026/Posters/1/13
Lindenwood Football Program Mental Health
Student athletes often navigate intense academic, athletic, and social pressures, yet many do not seek the mental health support they need. This project focuses specifically on the mental health beliefs, attitudes, and help-seeking barriers among student-athletes within the Lindenwood University Football Program. Primary data were collected through an anonymous Qualtrics survey distributed to 100 rostered football players, aiming to capture their perspectives on stigma, comfort levels, perceived barriers, and awareness of available mental health resources. Data were analyzed using SPSS with descriptive frequencies to identify patterns unique to this team environment. The study is grounded in existing research highlighting that fewer than half of student-athletes experiencing mental health concerns seek care, often due to internal and external pressures. Findings from this project provide insight into how athletes perceive mental health support and what factors may encourage or discourage them from accessing services. This research has meaningful implications for designing targeted interventions, improving athlete-centered mental health education, and informing broader efforts to enhance well-being within collegiate sports programs.