Mental health promotion and prevention interventions for college student athletes: A scoping review

Objective: There is an increasing need for interventions that promote mental health or prevent mental illness in college student athletes. This review describes and synthesizes current primary prevention mental health interventions for US college student athletes. Methods: We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus for relevant articles published from database inception to May 2023. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: A wide variety of interventions have been tested, encompassing various implementation strategies. The most used approach was mindfulness (n = 7). Studies varied in their sample size and study population, effectiveness, and outcome measures. More than half of interventions (n = 12) reported a positive impact on student athlete mental health. High levels of acceptability were reported in six studies. Conclusions: There are a growing number of effective interventions available to improve student athlete mental health. However, critical research gaps remain. Considerations for future research and intervention development are provided.