Student-athletes and mental health: 5 lessons learned from COVID

.....Repetition and routine are critical for the success of student-athletes as well as their teams, and this marked change in the availability of resources proved to be a major obstacle for universities across the world to overcome. Aside from logistical and physical limitations, the pandemic also introduced a new series of challenges related to the mental health of student-athletes—with anxiety and depression ranking among the top concerns of both school leadership and coaching staff.

For student-athletes navigating recent prolonged periods of great uncertainty, a number of contributing factors precipitated the anxiety brought forth by COVID-19. Across the board, student-athletes have experienced isolation, loneliness, change in schedules, shifts from in-person to online class instruction and concern around ensuring adequate resources for academic, financial, transportation and logistical needs....