ISSN: 1543-9518|Vol. 24

The Globalization of Professional Basketball: Context and Competition Matters in the NBA, WNBA, and Olympics

Authors: Howard Bartee, Jr., Ed.D.1

1School of Public and Allied Health, Division of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Prairie View A & M University, Prairie View, TX, USA

Corresponding Author:

Corresponding Author:
Howard Bartee, Jr., Ed.D.
Prairie View A & M University
700 University Drive
Prairie View, TX 77446
[email protected]
770-314-4415

Howard Bartee, Jr., Ed.D. is an Assistant Professor of Health and Kinesiology-Sport Management at Prairie View A & M University in Prairie View, TX.  His research interests include sports management and communication, sports analytics, and organizational behavior within the context of health and kinesiology. With nearly twenty-five years in higher education, Dr. Bartee has served in administrative capacities and previously taught sports management and sports administration courses at Houston Christian University in Houston, TX and Belhaven University in Jackson, MS. Dr. Bartee has further spearheaded initiatives related to sports career services, student advisement, and program and curriculum development. 

ABSTRACT
The role of professional basketball has evolved through the years given socio-historic and current perspectives involving the NBA, WNBA, and Olympics.  Such perspectives have shaped the context and competition for globalization and the subsequent impact and implications for the broader basketball industry.  

Key Words: athletic competition, sports history, international ambassadors

INTRODUCTION

Professional basketball for both men and women, as a globalized sport, has grown tremendously from the days of the peach basket on the basketball court to now being played in a virtual environment of NBA 2K video games.  Globalization refers to global, international merging of diverse national economic, socio-cultural, political, and technological forces into a single and coalesced society (14).  Internal and external forces have influenced the expansion of the game and which, in effect, draw attention to professional basketball leagues and the Olympics in understanding how they have impacted these outcomes. 

From a practical viewpoint, while the careers of LeBron James (NBA), Kevin Durant (NBA), Steph Curry (NBA), Tina Charles (WNBA) and Diana Taurasi (WNBA) may have reached a twilight stage, when considering their careers in totality, their contributions to professional basketball arena and the broader public of media and related markets informed globalization given their appeal across the world stage.  When considering the emerging careers of Jaylen Brown (NBA), Victor Wembanyama (NBA), Caitlin Clark (WNBA), A’ja Wilson (WNBA), and Angel Reese (WNBA) launch, their emerging careers offer a unique opportunity for the professional game of basketball within the United States to (re)define a model for how to expand globally within the current state of professional basketball and the role of the Olympics. 

Thus, using sociohistorical and current perspectives and demographical information, the following questions guide this exploration:  

  1. What is the impact of the WNBA and NBA, post-1992 Olympics to the present, for the globalization of the game of basketball? 
  2. What implications do the globalization of professional basketball hold for WNBA, NBA, and the broader Olympics?

These questions provide the context for understanding how the game of basketball and some marketing aspects has evolved given expanding technological aspects and the unique comparisons between the different eras of growth since 1904.(13) These questions show how competition within the NBA and WNBA contributes to overall globalization and marketing outcomes. (1). Using the implications of both context and competition, these questions offer a broader understanding of the impact of the globalization of basketball and how it informs the future state of the game, the players and related marketing components (9).

Context Matters for the NBA and WNBA and Olympics Demographics as Globalization Impacts

A View on the 1992 to the 2024 Olympics on Men’s Basketball for Globalization

Context matters for globalization of men’s basketball, particularly given how the 1992 Olympics for men brought forth a new playing field of competition.  The competition that became apparent was focused on the United States closing the gaps between amateurism, professionalism, and international competition. With the convergence of these three concepts came the entrance of NBA players into the Olympics Games as well as the first steps toward globalization.   According to Olympic history, “in 1992, for the first time, NBA players were allowed by FIBA to represent the USA and all other countries in national team competition” (7). At the time, the 1992 U.S. team was considered the greatest team ever assembled as they dominated the 1992 Olympic tournament, led by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, on their way to winning the gold medal. Photo #1 features this team of NBA professional players competing on the international scene changed the game of basketball forever.  (2)

Photo Credit: Bill Bender The Sporting News) Inside the ‘Dream Team’: A complete roster & history of USA’s 1992 Olympic men’s basketball team | Sporting News

And so, from the 1992 Olympics to the 2024 Olympics, globalization of basketball has increased on various levels, both domestically and internationally.  The resulting impact of these changes has resulted in different responses from different nations. It is important to note that not all countries are excited to release their valuable athletic resources for the capitalistic society of the NBA in the United States, yet there are many countries that do support the globalization movement to a more diverse marketplace of professional basketball.  

To that end, when it comes to the global sports marketplace, professional basketball has grown as indicated by the countries represented. This has allowed new players and fans to enter the game. One of the most important entrances into the NBA was that of Yao Ming from China being drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2002 as the #1 pick and later a global ambassador for the 2008 Olympic Games.  During these years, following the Beijing Olympics until 2012, basketball competition highlighted the effect of how global inclusion started affecting the outcome of games as the European league players were competing more closely with NBA players.  The progression of basketball globalization moved to whole new levels not only based upon player competition in the Olympic Games, but also, based upon player entrance into the professional ranks of the NBA.  Over the last sixteen years, the team has won gold in 2012, 2016, 2021 (during the pandemic years, following postponement in 2020), and most recently, in 2024.  With the influx of new players, fans, and corporate sponsors, especially since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics until the 2024 France Olympics, consideration of different aspects of this globalization are provided. 

As a result, what is of interest to note for the NBA teams is that the countries now performing well on the Olympic stage are also sending players to the NBA through the draft.  The impact of this new wave of draftees is not only influencing the Olympics, but it is also influencing the draft classes, as history shows us.  For example, the NBA and the Olympic Games have both seen shifts in roster makeups and globalization efforts over the last 32 years, since the 1992 Dream Team played in Barcelona, Spain. In the following Figure 1, there is a state-by-state visualization of the birthplace of U.S. born NBA and ABA Players. Figure 1 is as follows:

From countries abroad to the United States, a basketball “rite of passage” is being seen in the total number of draft picks being selected between U.S. Born NBA and ABA Players in comparison to those non-U.S. Born basketball players. Figure 1 shows the top 5 states are as follows:  California (443), New York (440), Illinois (302), Pennsylvania (250), and Texas (211).

As a result, Figure 1 provides the foundation for understanding how opportunities could be provided through the NBA draft on a worldwide scale, particularly given the relationships or networks that can be established within each of these countries.  These contacts help to create a context for toward globalizing efforts. And while these networks or relationships do not guarantee NBA stardom or a roster spot, they do provide a glimmer of hope and expanded area for recruitment.  This hope extends for not only the individual players, but for their countries, communities, families, and friend, which, in effect, is an upside trend of a new global basketball marketplace is emerging.   Table 1 particularly identifies the birthplace of non-US born NBA and ABA Players.  Table 1 indicates the following:

I

Table 1, according to (16), shows most of the non-US born NBA and ABA players are born in the top three (3) countries of Canada (n=54, France (n=38), and Germany (n=27). Table 1 also shows the gap existing between the birthplaces of those coming from larger countries compared to those coming from smaller countries.  What can be surmised from Table 1 is that while the competition gap has gotten smaller, the challenge to enhance greater roster structures has become increasingly important.  Owners, general managers, and coaches are feeling the need to scout not only the colleges of America, but they must also scout the high schools and the international leagues of the world.  The increased attention on these different talent pools is not only affecting NBA business locally, but it is also affecting NBA business globally.  Particularly within this structure, global scouting is being shown through current NBA rosters.  The NBA is experiencing expanded growth internationally. Table 2 particularly identifies the countries of those players from the different countries.  Table 2 is as follows:

Table 2, according to (11), shows that the majority of the players come from the country of Canada with the next highest number of players coming from the country of France.  A number of countries have only one player that comes from there.  Table 2 identifies the frequency in which foreign players (N=125) were on opening day NBA rosters during the 20232024 season.  The table reveals that 20.8% of the players were from Canada, while 79.2% of the players were from 39 other countries. In effect, it can be surmised that over a period of one season, Canada had more players on 2023-2024 Opening Day NBA rosters as compared to the other 39 countries represented on the 2023-2024 rosters.  Table 3 shows the nationalities of the

NBA All Star players.  Table 3 is as follows:      

Table 3, according to (11), identifies the frequency in which foreign players (N=7) were on the NBA All-Star rosters during the 2023-2024 season.  The table reveals that 27% of the player appearances were from seven countries, while 73% of the player appearances were from the United States during this same period. As a result of these findings, it can be assumed that over a period of the most recent NBA All-Star Game, players with a primary United States nationality had more All-Star game appearance in the 2023-2024 season as compared to the other7 foreign countries and 7 foreign players represented during this same period inclusive of the Eastern and Western Conferences. Context matters.

A View on the 1976 Olympics on Women’s Basketball for Globalization

Context matters, too, with regards to women’s basketball.  Starting in 1976 at the Olympics and continuing in 2024, there has been tremendous growth in the sport of women’s basketball.  During these past forty-eight years, the United States has led the world in the number of gold medals received during Women’s Basketball Olympics competition.  With this level of dominance, the United States and women’s basketball players have evolved since winning a silver medal in 1976.  Their first year of competition included players Luisa Harris, Nancy Lieberman, Ann Meyers, Cindy Brogdon, Susan Rojcewicz, Nancy Dunkle, Charlotte Lewis, Gail Marquis, Patricia Roberts, Mary Anne O’Connor, Patricia Head and Juliene Simpson and Photo #2 features this Women’s Basketball Olympic Team. (5)

Photo Credit: Bill Bender The Sporting News) Inside the ‘Dream Team’: A complete roster & history of USA’s 1992 Olympic men’s basketball team | Sporting News

These players were coached by Cal State Fullerton Head Coach Billie Moore and assisted by Stephen F. Austin Head Coach Sue Gunter in the first year of Olympics competition to their current eight Olympics gold medal winning streak in 2024. Photo #3 highlights the women’s basketball team winning in 2024. (6) 

Photo Credit: Mark J. Terrill/AP (2024 USA Women’s Basketball Team) US women win eighth straight Olympic basketball gold medal – CSMonitor.com

Table 4 highlights the 2024 Olympics Team comprised of players from across the country and is shown as follows: 

Source: Kyle Irving (The Sporting News) USA women’s Olympic basketball roster: A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart headline 2024 U.S. team for Paris | Sporting News

Table 4 shows that the majority of the women’s basketball players came from the Las Vegas Aces.  Only one player came from the Connecticut Sun and the Seattle Sun.  Table 5 highlights the coaching staff for this Olympic Team and is shown as follows:

Table 5 shows a diversity of coaches that was inclusive of both university and professional areas.  This integrated approach certainly allowed for a broadened perspective on coaching to be enacted.  Notwithstanding, with the passage of Title IX in 1972 and the growth of women’s basketball in the United States between 1972 and the bicentennial year of our nation’s founding in 1976, a team was able to be fielded for the Montreal Olympic games in Canada.  Though the team from the Soviet Union would win the gold medal in 1976, there was stiff competition as the United States finished with the silver medal and the team from Bulgaria would win the bronze.  Consequently, the evolution of women in basketball emerged in various ways within the country and beyond.  Context matters.

Competition Matters for NBA and WNBA and Olympics Demographics  as Globalization Impacts

A View on The Team and Medals Received in Men’s Basketball for Globalization

Competition matters as part of globalization and impact for the NBA.  History shows that since 1936, the United States has led the world in the number of gold medals received during Men’s Basketball Olympics competition.  As Table 6, Table 7, and Table 8 show, excluding, 1940 and 1944, in which Olympic Games were not held and noted as N/A, the United States has won 81% of the gold medals, three countries, the old Soviet Union (17.3%),  Yugoslavia (17.3%) and France (17.3% )have won 52% of the silver medals, and two countries, Brazil (13%) and

Lithuania (13%), have won 26% of the bronze medal.  With this level of dominance, the United States and its’ basketball players are a cut above the rest in terms of Olympic basketball and international participation in both men’s and women’s basketball.   More specifically, Table 6 indicates that the men received a substantial number of gold medals.  Table 6 indicates the following:

Men’s Olympic Gold Medals Since 1936 (N=21)

Table 6, according to (10), shows how the United States has won substantially more gold medals than any of the other competing countries. No other country has come close to the United States in receiving gold medals in basketball.  Table 7 highlights the silver medals received by the United States since 1936.  Table 7 is as follows:

Table 7, according to (10), shows that a three-way tie existed between France, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia with having four (4) medals.  The United States has received one (1) silver medal along with the countries of Canda, Croatia, and Serbia.  Table 8 highlights the number of bronze medals received since 1936 by different countries. Table 8 shows the following: 

Table 8, according to (10), shows that the countries of Brazil and Lithuania have received three (3) bronze medals.  The United States has received two bronze medals along with the countries of the Soviet Union, Uruguay, Yugoslavia, and the one listed as N/A.  Thus, the composition of the medals received by the United States is clearly at the gold level with less medals being received at the silver and bronze levels.  Table 9, however, provides insights into the competition experienced by those who were part of the NBA finals.  Table 9 is as follows:

Table 9, according to (4), identifies the frequency in which players with foreign nationalities (N=6) were on NBA Finals rosters during the 55 years of NBA Finals MVP selections from 1969 to the most 2024 season.  The table reveals that 6 of the 35 (17%) of the MVP Finals MVPs were from France, Greece, Nigeria, Serbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Germany, while 29 of the 35 (83%) were of United States nationality.  As a result of these findings, it can be assumed that over a period of 55 years of NBA Finals from 1969-2024, pre-

1992 and the Olympic Dream Team in Barcelona, all Finals MVP’s were of U.S. Nationality, while post-1992 and until most recently, in 2023, there six individuals that have won the coveted title of NBA Finals MVP as a direct result of globalization of basketball.  Table 10 shows the following outcomes in the competition from those involved with the NBA Finals and their background:  

Table 10, according to (4), indicates how the players came from the San Antonio Spurs the majority of the times which indicates a priority of producing MVPs might be emphasized within that organization. These players primarily came from the U.S. Virgin Islands which also might indicate a pipeline being utilized to recruit players from that area.  Nevertheless, with globalization, competition matters.   

A View on The Team and Medals Received in Women’s Basketball for Globalization

Competition matters, too, for women’s basketball when considering globalization.  As Tables 11-13 show aggregately and collectively, the United States has won 77% of the gold medals, while two countries, Australia (23%) and France (15%) have won silver medals with eight countries winning at least one silver medal each to make up the remaining 62% of medal recipients; whereas two countries, Australia (23%) and Russia (15%) have won bronze medals with eight countries winning at least one bronze medal each to make up the remaining 62% of medal recipients. Table 11 highlights the United Sates in comparison to other teams. 

Table 11 is as follows: 

Women’s Olympic Gold Medals Since 1976 (N=13)

Table 11, according to (10), indicates the Soviet Union as only having received one gold medal since 1976.  The United States Women’s Team has had ten (10) gold medals within this time.  Table 12, however, highlights the silver medals where Australia had the highest number of silver medal at three (3).  Table 12 is as follows:

Women’s Olympic Silver Medals Since 1976 (N=13)

Table 12, according to (10), shows several countries with only one silver medal. Some of those countries include China, Australia, South Korea, Spain, and others.  Table 13 highlights those countries that have received bronze medals since 1976.  Table 13 is as follows: 

Women’s Olympic Bronze Medals Since 1976 (N=13)

Table 13, according to (10), indicates Australia with the highest number of bronze medals.  Russia has received two (2) silver medals while several countries received one (1) bronze medal.  What becomes evident is the consistency of the United States as the recipient of gold medals throughout the years.  Australia is identified as the country that is next in terms of the medals received since this time. Competition matters.

Shared Implications on Context and Competition Matter:   The NBA, WNBA, Olympics, and Globalization for Basketball

Context and competition have shared implications for globalization when considering the NBA, WNBA, and the Olympics. From historic Olympic, NBA, and WNBA games to the more recent Olympic, NBA, and WNBA games, it remains important to continuously consider the sociohistorical and current impact upon the globalization of the game of basketball.   Both the NBA and WNBA markets are continuing to evolve into the vision first spoken by late NBA Commissioner, David Stern vision of globalization and during the WNBA’s first president, Val Ackerman, service as a U.S. representative to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), to grow the game of basketball.  Currently, as it stands in 2024, the economic, social, political, and technological changes that are taking place are evident as the game of basketball is part of the global sports industry, that is worth $484 Billion Dollars in 2023, according to The Business Research Company in April of 2024, with an expected market growth rate of 6.1% over the next five years from $484 Billion in 2023 to an estimated $862 Billion in 2028.(15) Such financial outcomes collectively shape the context and competition for professional basketball.  

Furthermore, the Olympics Games of 2024 has provided a unique example of how much the game has grown ever since the 1992 Dream Team of NBA Players entered the competition.  Through the vision of the late NBA Commissioner, David Stern, and the continued efforts of current NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, the game and competition continued to improve. This year’s Olympic Game Gold Medal Games was another example of how far globalization has come as the United States of America competed in the Men’s and Women’s finals again the host country of France, with each of these games featuring players from not only globally, but from the NBA in the Men’s Gold Medal Game and from the WNBA in the Women’s Gold Medal Game. 

To that end, from both context and competition stances, the game will continue to build upon the past success of this year’s Olympic Games as it was viewed globally by millions.  With almost 400 million fans in 2024, basketball continues to expand across the globe.  For example, this year’s Men’s Olympic Games gold medal game averaged 19.5 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, which according to the (3) in the New York Times (2024).  According to LeBron James in that same article regarding the United States Olympic Games Gold Medal Game, “we got our moment…it’s a basketball world and everybody loves the game; we just hope that we continue to inspire people all over the world”.  As one of the most recognizable figures in the game and the first active NBA billionaire player, LeBron James, along with Kevin Duran, Steph Curry and the 2024 Olympic Gold Media winning team of NBA superstars, the U.S. Team was able to capture the gold and continue in the legacy of past U.S. Olympics teams made up of NBA superstars. 

Additionally, from an WNBA perspective, the U.S. Women’s Olympic Team, led by WNBA MVP, Aja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces’ and her fellow WNBA and Olympic teammates was able to win the gold medal over France with “a peak viewership of 10.9 million for the final half hour of the one-point affair” (8).  With the growth of women’s basketball on the collegiate level, through the emergence of budding stars, Caitlin Clark (Iowa) and Angel Reese (LSU), they are now in the WNBA, with Clark, with the Indiana Fever and Reese, now with the Chicago Sky and will potentially be in the 2028 Olympics to help extend their record eight straight goal medal streak started in 1996. As a result, the future is very bright with the new stars emerging in the NBA, WNBA and Olympic games, while the old guard passes the torch to the next generation.  Therefore, as the past is cherished, the present is held and the future is embarked upon, basketball is changing because of the demographic makeup of National Basketball Association (NBA), Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Olympic team rosters in 2024 and beyond (12). Context and competition matter.

            In closing, since the founding of basketball at Springfield College by Dr. James Naismith in 1891, for both men and women now, the pathways into the globalization of professional basketball has expanded from a small college to larger colleges and universities to professional leagues to countries from across the world.  With there being no boundaries, the opportunities for globalization remain limitless. Thus, the success of individual teams led by those individual basketball players born outside of the United States has not only led to an increased fanbase, but also has allowed the Olympic game talent to become more talented.  As “Table 1: Birthplace of non-U.S. Born NBA and ABA Players” and “Table 2: NBA Rosters from a Global Perspective, 2023-2024” show, the nationalities of players have grown exponentially, while at the same time, selection of MVP’s has grown as well.  The cities of Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Milwaukee, and Denver, which now boast NBA Finals MVP’s have all represented their counties well, along with those respectful induvial players.  

            When considering both context and competition, with the U.S. dominance in both Men’s and Women’s Gold Medal games, the next four years will offer interesting perspectives to consider as countries seek to close the talent gap between those teams that have and those two teams that have not.  These are tremendous efforts, particularly since 2020/2021 during the pandemic when the teams of the NBA and WNBA, had to play in the bubble, the unintended yet, resulting, outcome has led to higher medical protocols and concerns for those participating then and even now.  In effect, many will wonder how globalization will influence context and competition for the next four years.  With the Olympics coming to Los Angeles in 2028, it will be critical that those involved in sports stay encouraged as the games continue to grow as the growth will foster itself as new markets come aboard.   Moreover, as new forms of gaming enter the technical arena, having knowledge of the past histories allows one to be able to learn the necessities for current and future matters of context and competition, particularly given the rise of e-sports and related virtual gaming.  By learning the game through e-sports and video games, participants can utilize their movements into today’s face to face games.  Strategic planning and coaching sessions help to make today’s understanding of the globalized basketball game in a more reflective and projected manner. Within these types of sessions, learning about the world of gaming offers more engaging and relevant experiences.  Such sessions create the platform for further advancing the globalized game of basketball for engaging professional and amateur worlds.  With the popularity of the NBA and WNBA and the Olympics being at an all-time high, understanding the globalization of basketball, particularly given the implications and impact of context and competition, becomes important for how the future game of professional basketball is shaped for future generations

REFERENCES

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  2. Bender, B. (2020, May 6). Inside the ‘Dream Team’: A complete roster & history of USA’s 1992 Olympic men’s basketball team. Retrieved on September 12, 2024 from Inside the ‘Dream Team’: A complete roster & history of USA’s 1992 Olympic men’s basketball team | Sporting News
  3. Deitsch, R. (2024, August 11). U.S.-France men’s basketball final averages 19.5 million viewers, most watched gold medal game since 1996. Retrieved on September 1, 2024 from https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5694751/2024/08/11/usa-france-basketballolympics-viewership/
  4. ESPN. (2024). NBA History – Finals MVP. Retrieved on September 19, 2024 from NBA Awards – Finals MVP – National Basketball Association – ESPN
  5. FIBA.Basketball. (2024). Women Join the Men In Montreal To Take First Olympics Steps in 1976. Retrieved on September 12, 2024 from Women join the men in Montreal to take first Olympic steps in 1976 – FIBA.basketball
  6. Fienberg, D. (2024, August 11). U.S. Women Win 8th Straight Olympic Basketball Gold Medal. Retrieved on September 12, 2024 from US women win eighth straight Olympic basketball gold medal – CSMonitor.com
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  8. Lundberg, R. (2024, August 13). Team USA Women’s Basketball Olympics Viewership Numbers Released. Retrieved on September 8, 2024 from Team USA Women’s Basketball Olympics Viewership Numbers Released (si.com).
  9. Masteralexis, L., Barr, C., & Hums, M. (2018). Principles and Practice of Sport Management. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning).
  10. Merrell, C. (2024). Olympic basketball: Complete List of Winners and Medallists. Retrieved on September 10, 2024 from Olympic basketball: Complete list of winners and medallists (olympics.com)
  11. NBA. (2024). NBA rosters feature 125 international players from 40 countries. Retrieved on September 12, 2024 from NBA rosters feature record 125 international players from 40 countries | NBA.com
  12. Olympics. (2024). Paris 2024: Record Breaking Olympic Games On and Off the Field. Retrieved on September 2, 2024 from IOC – International Olympic Committee | Olympics.com.
  13. Sage, G., Eitzen, D., & Beal, B. (2019). Sociology of North American Sport.11th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press).
  14. Sanjay, G. & Chimanlal, K. (2018). Globalization through sports. Retrieved from https://old.rrjournals.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/664-668_RRIJM180310132.pdf
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2024-12-03T15:53:49-06:00December 20th, 2024|Contemporary Sports Issues, General, Olympics, Research, Sports Exercise Science|Comments Off on The Globalization of Professional Basketball: Context and Competition Matters in the NBA, WNBA, and Olympics
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Maximizing Youth Sports Engagement on Social Media: How Visual Impact and Message Appeal Shape Consumer Responses Online

Authors: Wan S. Jung1, Won Yong Jang2, and Soo Rhee3

1Department of Professional Communications, Farmingdale State College, New York
2Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
3Department of Mass Communication, Towson University, Maryland

Corresponding Author:

Wan S. Jung, Ph.D
Knapp Hall 30
2350 Broadhollow Road, Farmingdale, NY 11735-1021
[email protected]
934-420-2276

Wan S. Jung, PhD is an Associate Professor of Professional Communications at Farmingdale State College, NY. His research interests focus on the credibility assessment process of digital information.

Won Yong Jang, PhD is a Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. He specializes in 1) international communication, 2) news media and society in East Asian countries, 3) climate change policy & communication, 4) public opinion on North Korea’s Nuclear Program, and 5) territorial disputes in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Soo Rhee, PhD is a Professor at Towson University, Maryland. Her research interests include luxury brand advertising, gender portrayals in advertising, dynamics of electronic word-of-mouth, cross-cultural studies in advertising and message strategies in health advertising.

ABSTRACT
An increasing number of people rely on the Internet as their primary information source and use it to share their opinions and thoughts with others. Generally, individuals adopt a systematic approach when processing sports information, evaluating its completeness and accuracy due to the serious consequences of incomplete or inaccurate information, such as monetary loss and negative impacts on child development. However, our study finds that the heuristics of online information, even with subtle changes in design features, generate more positive attitudinal and behavioral changes compared to central cues (i.e., informational posting). Our findings suggest a dissociation between involvement and the effects of heuristics. This study also provides an empirical framework for predicting how people process information in digital media environments. Additional findings and implications are discussed.

Key Words: youth sport communication, visual impact of social media posting, message appeal

INTRODUCTION
The youth sport market is a huge and fast-growing industry, ranging from organized sports leagues to recreational activities. The market for youth sports in the United States stood at 15.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2017 and grew to 19.2 billion U.S. dollars by 2019 (11). With a fast-growing trend (i.e., a growth rate of 25.4% from 2017 to 2019) with various options, parents became more active in searching for information. As social media are pervasive, rapidly evolving, and increasingly influencing parents’ daily life and their sport consumption, parents increasingly turn to the internet as a source of community, which helps them connect, communicate, and share information (18).

The rapid growth of online sports information production and dissemination through social media parenting communities (e.g., Facebook local groups and Nextdoor) raises important research questions about how individuals process online information provided by other consumers (i.e., experienced parents whose child(ren) have participated in your sport programs) in youth sport consumption decision making. Moreover, since sport consumers make decisions about whether or not to adopt online sports information based on their own judgement (e.g., attitudinal formation), how individuals evaluate online information is central to sports communication agendas.

Although the formation of attitudes toward information can be attributed to multiple aspects of that information (e.g., source credibility, information completeness), sport consumers using online resources are more reliant on how the information is presented than on the quality of the argument (10), and subtle graphical adjustments become relevant when online parenting community members share their own experiences with other members on social media platforms. In order to emphasize their own views, web users often create visual prominence using subtle design elements, such as capitalized subject lines, copy-and-paste text art (also called keyboard art, e.g., ≧◡≦), or bullet-point symbols. In addition to subtle design changes, the characteristics of the online posting can be varied based on the degree of informativeness (i.e., emotion-based versus information-based).

The purpose of the current study is twofold. First, it will explore the effect on attitudinal formation and behavioral intentions of the message appeals and subtle graphical adjustments of posts in online parenting communities in the youth sport consumption context. Second, the study will investigate whether the strength of the relationship between attitude and behavioral intentions varies based on message appeals. Overall, the study will seek to advance understanding of digital media by examining how small graphical changes and message appeals impact youth sport consumers’ attitudes and behaviors when searching for consumer-generated information (e.g., testimonials) in online communities.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Parent-to-Parent Online Information in Youth Sport Consumption
“It takes a village to raise a child” is a proverb to explain the role of and community support in parenting. As social aspect is one of the primary factors that drives parents and their children to be involved in sport program (1), the influence of other parents’ opinion and the role of parent community are even more prominent in youth sport consumer’s decision making process. Braunstein-Minkove & Metz (2019) noted in their research on the role of mothers in sport consumption that youth sport consumption might not always about the sport but the experience. Therefore, parents of youth rely on other parents’ opinion to obtain relevant and sufficient information and evaluate various youth sport program options available. In order to provide the best sporting and exercise experience for their children, parents of young children are willing to hear voices of other parents (i.e., testimonial) regarding the type of sports, sports programs, and sporting events their children would participate in.

With the modern technology and the advent of social media, the notion of the village (or supporting community) has been expanded from a physical village to a digital community. Social media platforms support a variety of user generated content to be disseminated to other users and allows users to participate in interactive discussions. Among the various types of social media platforms, Facebook have become the most prevalent web-based service in the world (21) and remaining the most popular site by far (12). Also, Facebook recently provides an option to mark the group type as parenting group, which gives parents new ways to discover and engage with their communities (5). Though the role of online community and the influence of information from other youth sport consumers (i.e., testimonials from other parents in such online community) in youth sport consumer’s decision-making process became more prominent, there is no previous research to explore the effects of the presentation of online information on consumers’ attitudinal and behavioral response in youth sport consumption context.

The Impact of Visual Prominence
Quick and low effort cognitive information processing has been investigated in the field of psychology since the 1970s (e.g., 9, 13), and the research indicates that impression formation is the result of the perceiver’s rapid response to selective or incomplete information. In other words, one’s appraisal of an event occurs without intention or conscious thought. Theories of impression formation in the context of digital communication have been developed by Fogg (2003) and Wathen and Burkell (2002), and their studies suggest that visual prominence—the visual salience that allows people to effortlessly notice the presence of graphic elements (e.g., bold vs. non-bold font)—is a primary driver of attitudinal formation, rather than information quality.

The impact of visual prominence can also be explained by individuals’ reliance, when making decisions, on transactive memory systems, which consist of two key elements: internal memory (e.g., personal experience) and external memory (e.g., another person’s expertise; 14). The presence of an external memory will activate a transactive memory system, and such a dependency on external memory increases efficiency and cognitive labor power (20). Thus, external sources of knowledge can have a significant impact on one’s perception of what to accept as true and how confidently to accept it.

The theoretical and empirical evidence for transactive memory systems is based on offline social interactions (e.g., interactions within family groups). However, recent studies suggest that online sources can also trigger transactive memory systems due to the similarity between the process of outsourcing cognitive tasks to other people and the process of outsourcing cognitive tasks to the Internet (6). This nonhuman transactive memory network is further fueled by the unique features of the Internet (e.g., accessibility, breadth, immediacy of information), but such features may distort one’s ability to calibrate personal knowledge because the boundary between internal and external memory becomes unclear. That is, individuals often mix up information obtained through the Internet with information stored in the brain, and this illusion inflates self-ratings of competence regarding personal knowledge and decision-making (17). Recent research on such illusions also suggests that people tend to believe they can solve problems even in unfamiliar domains and that their decision-making processes are often based on heuristics, such as visual prominence (7, 8); the impact of visual prominence would thus be greater in digital media environments.

Since online parenting community members can establish the visual prominence of their postings on social media platforms only with subtle graphical adjustments, the current study will investigate how subtle changes (e.g., capitalizing subject lines, use of text art) to posts in online youth sport communities influence individuals’ attitude formation and behavioral intentions. Given the exploratory nature of the topic of individual information judgment in digital media environments, the following hypotheses are proposed:
H1: Visually prominent postings in online youth sport communities form stronger attitudes than less prominent postings.
H2: Visually prominent postings in online youth sport communities form stronger behavioral intentions than less prominent postings.

The Impact of Involvement on Message Appeals
The persuasiveness and prevalence of various appeal types (e.g., emotional, informative) have been extensively examined in different contexts, such as brand familiarity (Rhee & Jung, 2019), cultural variability (Han & Shavitt, 1994), and involvement (Flora & Maibach, 1990). However, less is known about the differential effects of appeal types in the context of online youth sport communities, and the current study therefore presents an exploration of the question of which type of message appeal is most persuasive in such communities.
The elaboration likelihood model (ELM; 16) is one of the most prominent theoretical frameworks employed in the message appeal literature and is applied in various contexts, such as public health service announcements (Perse et al., 1996), crisis management (Lee & Atkinson, 2019), and advertising (Stafford & Day, 1995). Studies have also commonly found a moderating effect of involvement on message appeals, and according to the ELM, people tend to rely on argument quality (e.g., information completeness, comprehensiveness) when processing information under high involvement conditions, with persuasion less likely to occur through peripheral cues, such as peers’ emotional experiences. The converse is also true under low involvement conditions.

However, a recent study by Jung et al. (2017) found evidence that contradicts the prevailing literature on the role of involvement in digital media environments; the study claims that individuals often find it hard to motivate themselves to process information thoroughly, regardless of involvement levels, due to the nature of the Internet, which inundates them with massive amounts of non-verifiable information. Individuals therefore tend to compromise the accuracy of their decisions, which can require extensive cognitive effort, by relying on the heuristic aspects of information.

In addition, in the context of online youth sports communities, people tend to seek others’ prior experiences (e.g., a coach’s personality) and emotionally supportive messages because any objective information about a youth sports program (e.g., fees, coach’s experience, facilities) can be easily found through sources such as the program’s website. It can therefore be assumed that the moderating role of involvement in appeal types might be limited by the dominance of social media. Nevertheless, because there is still insufficient evidence for the limited role of involvement in the social media context, we propose the following research question:
RQ1: What effect does involvement have on the appeal types of posts in online youth sport communities?

The Moderating Impact of Involvement on the Attitude–Intention Relationship
Attitudes are among the most significant predictors of behavioral intentions in psychology. According to the theory of planned behavior (TPB), intention functions as an antecedent of behavior and is attributable to individual attitudes, together with subjective norms and perceived behavioral control (Ajzen, 1991). Although a number of studies have provided strong evidence for the relationship between intentions and the three causal variables of the TPB, a meta-analytic study by Cooke and Sheeran (2004) also noted that less than 42% of the variance in intentions can be explained by those variables.

Consequently, there have been numerous attempts to increase the predictive power of the TPB by exploring moderators of the relationship between intention and the TPB variables, such as attitudinal ambivalence (Armitage & Conner, 2000) and certainty (Bassili, 1996). In addition to these moderating variables, Petty et al. (1983) has offered theoretical and empirical evidence that the attitude–intention relationship is more consistent under high involvement conditions, because attitudes established by highly involved people are more stable than those of lowly involved people. Verplanken (1989) also examined whether involvement can explain additional variance in the attitude–intention relationship, although that study was in the context of nuclear energy.

Therefore, the current study will examine the moderating role of involvement in the attitude–intention relationship in the sport communication context.
H3: High involvement will be associated with greater attitude–intention consistency than low involvement.

METHOD
Subjects and Procedure
192 participants who had parenting experiences (male = 64%) from the United States between the ages of 20 and 55 completed the study through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk). For participants’ ethnicity, the most common ethnicity was Caucasian (53.6%), followed by Asian (33.9%), African American (5.2%), Hispanic (3.6%), and other racial backgrounds (3.6%). To participate in the study, subjects were requested to provide electronic consent. And subjects were debriefed and compensated upon completion of the study.

Experimental Treatment Conditions
To investigate the effects of visual prominence (high vs. low prominence) and message appeals (emotional vs. informative message) on online youth sport program postings, four versions of online postings were created as stimuli, and the subjects were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions: low prominence and emotional (n = 49), high prominence and emotional (n = 49), low prominence and informative (n = 49), and high prominence and informative (n = 45).

The postings contained an online community member-created message about a local youth soccer program. The community member-created posting consisted of either factual information about the soccer program (informative appeal) (i.e., up to 12 kids in one session with two coaches, all are CPR first aid and AED certified, and having an indoor field) or user experiences (emotional appeal) (i.e., it was such an amazing experience and my son loves his current coach). A youth soccer program was selected as the topic for this study because of popularity of the sport among young parents. The manipulation of visual prominence was carried out by differentiating graphic elements between high prominence and low prominence conditions. Since parent community members on social media platforms can emphasize their posting with subtle graphical alterations, the high prominence version was designed to help the study participants notice the key messages by capitalizing key words, using a bulleted list and line-breaks in order to increase readability, and using a text art. The low prominence version lacks those design features.

Dependent Measures
Attitude toward the online posting
The attitude toward the online youth program posting was measured using
three semantically differential items (i.e., good/bad, favorable/unfavorable, negative/positive) emerged from the literature on the scale (Lee & Hong, 2016). The scale was internally consistent (Cronbach’s  = .91, M = 4.70, SD = 1.81).

Behavioral Intentions
Subjects were also asked to answer their intentions to 1) recommend the youth soccer program on the posting you just read and 2) register for the soccer program in the future on 7-point Likert-type scales ranging from 1 (not at all) 7 (extremely). The items were averaged to create a behavioral intention scale (Cronbach’s  = .83, M = 4.33, SD = 1.73).

Independent Measure
Involvement
Involvement in sports activities may influence the attitudinal formation and behavioral intentions. Thus, this study measured personal involvement with sports activities by using three 7-point (1 = strongly disagree, 7 strongly agree) Likert-type scales, the participants reported on how much they agreed with the following three statements: “I enjoy playing sport,” “Sport plays a central role in my life,” and “Sport says a lot about who I am.” The three items were averaged to measure involvement (Cronbach’s  = .86, M = 5.38, SD = 1.35). This study used a median split to categorize high-involvement (N = 86) and low-involvement conditions (N = 83).

RESULTS
Manipulation Checks
The visual prominence manipulations were examined. Using two seven-point sematic differential items, the participants were asked to rate the extent to which they thought the format of the online posting they just read were “attractive/not attractive” and “likable/not likable” (Cronbach’s  = .83, M = 4.81, SD = 1.75). A t test between the two prominence conditions (low vs. high prominence) showed subjects felt that the youth sport program posting was more visually prominent when it included noticeable graphic elements (M = 5.60, SD = 1.23) than when it lacked the elements (M = 4.05, SD = 1.84), t (190) = 6.82, p < .001.

This study measured the degree of informativeness of online postings (emotional versus informative) by asking participants to rate the extent to which they though the posting they just read was “emotional” and “warmhearted” (Cronbach’s  = .80 M = 4.39, SD = 1.61). A t test between two message appeal conditions showed that the emotional appeal group (M = 4.94, SD = 1.27) perceived the posting to be significantly more emotional than the informative appeal group (M = 3.82, SD = 1.73), t (190) = 5.11, p < .001.
H1 and H2: Visual Prominence Main Effects

Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to determine the significant impacts of visual prominence, message appeal, and involvement on attitudes and behavioral intentions. H1 and H2 suggest that participants reading visually prominent postings would form stronger attitudes and behavioral intentions than did participants reading less prominent postings. Follow-up analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were also performed the examine the effect of visual prominence for each of the dependent variables. Findings revealed that the effect of visual prominence was pronounced in relation to being able to determine consumers’ attitudes (M_High Prominence = 5.30, SD = 2.02 vs. M_Low Prominence = 4.14, SD = 1.38; F (1, 169) = 20.90, p < .001, partial η2 = .12) and behavioral intentions (M_High Prominence = 4.69, SD = 1.64 vs. M_Low Prominence = 4.01, SD = 1.73; F (1, 169) = 7.24, p < .01, partial η2 = .04). Thus, H1 and H2 were supported.



RQ1 and RQ2: Influence of Involvement on Visual Prominence and Message Appeals
The impact of consumers’ involvement on visual prominence and messages appeals were examined by 2 (visual prominence) X 2 (involvement) ANOVAs and 2 (message appeal) X 2 (involvement) ANOVAs with attitudes toward the online posting and behavioral intentions as dependent variables. The ANOVA results showed that that there were not significant interaction effects of the involvement-appeal relation and the involvement-visual prominence relation. The p values of the aforementioned relations were greater than .37. However, the impacts of visual prominence and message appeals were greater under both involvement conditions (see Figure 1 and 2).

H3: Moderating effect of involvement on the attitude-intention relation
This study anticipated that the attitude toward the online posting would form a stronger impact on the formation of behavioral intentions for high involvement conditions. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to examine whether involvement modifies the magnitude of the attitude-intention relation. Then, each correlation coefficient values for the high- and low-involvement conditions was converted into z scores by using Fisher’s r to z transformation. In order to compare the z scores for the two conditions, the following formula was implemented to determine the observed z score: Zobserved = (Z1−Z2) ∕ (square root of [1∕N1−3] + (1∕N2−3))

For the high involvement condition (n = 83), the correlation coefficient for the attitude-intention relation was .49 (p < .001). For the low involvement condition (n = 84), the correlation was .25 (p < .05). The test statistics, z = 1.78, p < .001 (one-tailed test), indicate that the correlation in the high involvement condition is significantly higher than it is in the low involvement condition. Therefore, Hypothesis 3 is supported.

DISCUSSION
Our findings suggest a lack of association between involvement and the effects of heuristics. The moderating role of involvement has been well established since the introduction of Petty et al.’s (1983) ELM and Chaiken’s (1987) heuristic-systematic model. According to those theories, involvement is a significant determinant in the selection of an information processing route (peripheral versus central). It is also commonly acknowledged in the sport communication field that individuals generally use a systematic mode (i.e., evaluating completeness/accuracy) when processing online sport information under high-involvement conditions in order to avoid the serious consequences of incomplete or inaccurate information (e.g., monetary loss, negative impacts on child development). However, our study found that the non-systematic mode is often activated for both high-involvement and low-involvement participants, and this finding thus contributes to the literature on individuals’ approaches to online information processing.

According to evidence-accumulation models (2), individuals reach a conclusion once there is enough evidence to support a particular case, but they can also alter the amount of evidence needed for coming to that decision. Although individuals generally want to make accurate decisions, Internet users often compromise the accuracy of their decisions by reducing the amount of evidence required to validate the information they are investigating. This tendency is attributable to online information overload, in which individuals experience difficulties in understanding the nature of a particular topic (Robin & Holmes, 2008). The tendency suggests a new general pattern of the speed–accuracy trade-off (SAT) in social media environments. In line with the SAT, there are two driving forces in the decision-making process (4); one emphasizes faster (or more efficient) decisions, while the other emphasizes higher accuracy. Although there are trade-offs between speed and accuracy, the two can be pursued independently, but they produce a wide spectrum of outcomes, from slower but more accurate decisions to quicker but less accurate decisions. In social media environments, individuals are motivated to engage in less-effortful information processing and are more likely to trade accuracy for speed in the decision-making process.

The current study also found another reason for further examining the role of involvement in social media environments. It has been assumed that persuasion is less likely to occur through emotional messages when an individual is highly involved in an issue because people tend to scrutinize issue-relevant information. However, our findings suggest that emotional messages can be more persuasive than informational messages regardless of the level of involvement, especially in the online youth sport community context, and these findings can be explained by the types of information individuals seek in online communities. Objective information about a youth program (e.g., fees, coaches’ experience, facilities) can be easily found through sources such as the youth program’s website, but people also tend to seek others’ prior experiences and emotionally supportive messages when joining online communities.
It is important to stress that the attitude–intention relationship varies with involvement levels. Our study shows that the attitudes of high-involvement participants are more predictive of the intention to perform a specific act (e.g., signing up a youth sport program) than the attitudes of low-involvement participants. Our findings regarding the attitude–intention relationship suggest that the moderating effect of involvement on that relationship is applicable to not only traditional media environments (e.g., Krosnick, 1988; Verplanken, 1989), but also to social media environments.

In addition to the theoretical implications of this study, understanding parents’ information processing in assessing youth sport program is an integral part of the sport communication landscape. With the growing importance of (local) parenting community groups on social media and the impact of user generated message, this study will help youth sport service providers understand the effective way of crafting online information. This study will shed lights on communication strategies for youth sport providers when they try to utilize a form of testimonial in introducing their services to the market. This study will also lead how social influencer marketing would be employed in delivering and disseminating the promotional messages to the consumers.

This study has some limitations. All its subjects were recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Although MTurk respondents tend to be more diverse than student samples in terms of demographic, psychographic, and geographic characteristics, some reliability issues (e.g., the work ethic of MTurk respondents) are unavoidable (3). Another limitation is that this study was conducted with samples of people who had parenting experiences because the study used a youth soccer program to develop the experimental stimuli, and the context of parenting might amplify reactions to emotional messages. We therefore recommend that future studies be conducted with more diverse samples and more popular sports topics (e.g., local sports events) in order to exclude the specific study topic and characteristics of the sample as potentially confounding factors.

REFERENCES

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2024-11-04T18:10:35-06:00November 22nd, 2024|Contemporary Sports Issues, General, Research, Sports Studies, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off on Maximizing Youth Sports Engagement on Social Media: How Visual Impact and Message Appeal Shape Consumer Responses Online
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Adult exercisers’ attitudes toward female and male personal fitness trainers: Influence of gender, age, and exercise experience

Authors: Edward P. Hebert1, and Jada McGuin2

1Department of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA, USA
2Fitt House, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Edward Hebert

SLU Box 10845

Hammond, LA 70810

[email protected]

985-549-2132

Edward Hebert, PhD is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Southeastern Louisiana University. His research interests include exercise motivation and adherence; and morale, efficacy, and burnout among health and wellness professionals.

Jada McGuin, MS, MHA is a health and wellness professional and the Owner/Operator of The Fitt House in Baton Rouge. Her professional interests focus on the implementation of preventative measures such as health screening, exercise, and lifestyle interventions to reduce the prevalence of chronic illness and diseases.

ABSTRACT

This study describes attitudes of adult exercisers toward female and male personal fitness trainers, and compares responses of male and female, younger vs older exercisers, and those with varying levels of exercise experience. Recruited from 4 fitness gyms, 201 adults aged 18 to 77 completed an anonymous survey where they provided relative attitude ratings toward female vs. male fitness trainers specific to the trainer’s knowledge, helping meet personal fitness goals, following their directions, comfort discussing struggles with exercise, working with the trainer for an extended time, and referring others to them. Participants rated male trainers higher for fitness knowledge, and were more willing to follow their directions, work with them for an extended time, and refer clients to them, but perceived a female trainer more favorably for discussing their struggles with exercise. Significant gender, age, and experience differences were found. Gender-biased perceptions were highest among male, older, and inexperienced exercisers, who had more positive attitudes toward male fitness trainers. Attitudes of women, younger, and experienced exercisers tended to be more neutral, and favor female trainers for meeting personal goals and discussing struggles. The results of this exploratory study suggest gender-biased exercise attitudes are influenced by participant gender, as well as age and experience, and provide impetus for additional research on exercise attitudes.

Keywords: personal training, beliefs, perceptions, biases

INTRODUCTION

Recent decades have seen a great expansion of the fitness industry signaled by an increase in the number of adults exercising in fitness centers around the world. This rise has been attributed to a number of factors including global recognition of the benefits of physical activity, endorsement of exercise by the medical community, and growth of the fitness industry (1, 29). Yet, exercise adherence remains problematic (9, 25, 37, 38, 41) and fitness clubs tend to have low retention rates (7, 17, 18, 29, 36, 42). The practice of exercising with a personal fitness trainer (PFT) has increased in popularity and personal training has become a standard feature in many settings (5, 27, 29, 43, 44). PFTs design and supervise exercise programs, and help clients set and reach personal goals. In addition, they engage in practices to promote an active lifestyle, motivate clients, and facilitate their exercise competence and self-efficacy, which can play an important role in exercise adherence (29, 35, 44). Studies of consumers consistently identify a fitness club’s staff, and fitness leaders’ instruction, feedback, and support as among the most important factors in customer satisfaction (19, 33). In addition, satisfaction with individualized training is positively associated with exercise motivation and self-efficacy (44). Consistent evidence points to the benefits of exercising with a PFT. Studies show that individuals who train with a PFT are more likely to attend exercise sessions and adhere to programs (2, 14, 22, 32). Those who train with a PFT have been found to exercise at higher intensities (31, 40) and make greater strength and fitness gains (30, 31) than those who exercise independently. These results are similar to findings comparing individuals who train alone vs. under the supervision of a fitness professional (11, 16).

Studies of fitness settings have often concluded that gender plays a role in gym-related attitudes and behaviors. In their review, Håman et al. (20) suggested fitness gym spaces are strongly associated with male bodies and norms, and gender norms influence social practices and behaviors there. Exercise motivation has been tied to weight loss for women and enhancing muscularity among men (24). Certain types of exercise are considered masculine or feminine, and exercisers have been shown to use gendered language to refer to areas of the gym (8). Interview-based studies of PFTs indicate that a clients’ gender influences their advice (20) and they recognize that gender plays a role in clients’ selection of a trainer (35).

The results of previous interview-based studies (27, 34) indicated that women prefer a female PFT. This preference is based on perceptions of being less self-conscious about their bodies with a female trainer, and the beliefs that a female trainer would better understand and empathize with their struggles with exercise and comfort levels in the gym. Survey-based research comparing perceptions of male and female fitness trainers have studied the attitudes of college students, and produced mixed results. In their study of 402 undergraduates, Fisher et al. (15) found no clear preference for a male or female PFT, yet hypothetical female PFTs received higher ratings for general perceptions of competence, and participants’ willingness to discuss progress and take instructions/corrections from them, compared to male trainers. Boerner et al. (5) similarly found that college undergraduates perceived female PFTs as more competent and knowledgeable than males. However, male students preferred to work with a male fitness trainer, while female students had no gender preference. Similarly, Magnusen and Rhea (28) found female college Division I athletes had no preference for a male or female strength coach, whereas males preferred a male coach.

Thus, research to date on attitudes toward male vs. female PFTs has provided mixed results, and survey-based studies to date have exclusively examined perceptions of college students, which may be different from non-college aged adults. In addition, research has yet to examine how attitudes toward male/female fitness trainers may vary with other potentially-influential factors such as age and exercise experience. Thus, the purpose of this exploratory study was to examine attitudes toward male and female PFTs in a sample of adult members of fitness gyms, and compare responses with respect to participant gender, age, and exercise experience.

METHODS

Participants

Participants were 201 (144 female; 57 male) adult members of four fitness centers from one city in the southeast United States who responded to an online survey. They ranged in age from 18 to 77 years (mean = 35.87, SD = 14.87 years). Self-reported experience levels were Beginner (n=59), Intermediate (n=91) and Advanced (n=51). Over half of the sample indicated exercising four or more times per week (54.9%), with 25.3% indicating three times per week, and 20.1% once a week. Table 1 provides the number and percent of male and female participants in age and exercise experience groups.

Procedures

Prior to data collection, the study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the authors’ university. Participants were recruited from fitness centers via email with the cooperation of the managers. Two facilities were small gyms that offered only individual and small group training, and two were larger traditional fitness centers that housed a variety of equipment and amenities, and provided personal training services and group exercise classes as well as independent exercise. A recruiting email with a link to an anonymous online survey was sent to all members of the two small gyms, and members of the larger gyms who had expressed interest in personal training. Participants were assured of anonymity and informed their participation was voluntary and they were providing consent to participate by completing the survey.

Data were collected February-March 2021 using a survey created for the study. Survey items were based on and relatively similar to those used in previous research on attitudes toward female/male fitness trainers (15). Item content was guided by previous research examining criteria for selecting a PFT (20, 29, 35) and on reasons people may prefer a male/female PFT (27, 34). After initial development, the survey was reviewed by researchers with expertise in fitness who provided feedback and recommendations.

The first section sought demographic information including gender, age, level of fitness experience (beginner, intermediate, or advanced), and frequency of exercise during the last month. The next section focused on participant’s attitudes about working with a PFT, specifically how their attitudes would be influenced by the trainer’s gender. It included 6 face-valid items: (1) “My belief about the trainer’s knowledge about fitness,” (2) “My belief in the trainer’s desire for me to meet my personal fitness goals,” (3) “My willingness to follow the trainer’s directions about exercise,” (4) “My level of comfort discussing my struggles with exercise with the trainer,” (5) “My willingness to continue working with the trainer for an extended length of time,” and (6) “My willingness to refer clients to the trainer.” Participants responded to teach item on a 5-option scale: Higher for a female trainer, slightly higher for a female trainer, the same for a female or male trainer, slightly higher for a male trainer, or higher for a male trainer.

Data Analysis

For data analysis, ratings were translated to a numerical scale from -2 to 2 with the neutral response in the center: (-2) Higher for a female trainer), (-1) Slightly higher for a female trainer), (0) The same for a female or male trainer, (1) Slightly higher for a male trainer, and (2) Higher for a male trainer. Responses were also coded categorically as neutral, or favoring a male or female trainer. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, and percent of responses indicating a neutral response or favoring a female/male PFT) for responses to each item are reported for the entire sample.

Responses were also analyzed with respect to three independent variables (gender, age group, and fitness experience). Three levels of fitness experience were self -reported Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. For the purpose of the study, participants were divided into two age groups operationally defined as younger (18-39 years) and older (40 years and older) exercisers. Numerical responses were analyzed using three separate MANOVAs with the 6 survey items as dependent measures. Significant main effects were further analyzed using independent t-tests or one-way ANOVA. Partial Omega Squared (ηp2) and Cohen’s d were reported as indicators of effect size. In addition to these analyses, the percent of participants whose responses were neutral or favored a male or female PFT were reported for groups.

RESULTS

As shown in Figure 1, as a whole, participants tended to have higher ratings of male PFTs relative to fitness knowledge, willingness to follow their directions, working with the trainer for an extended time, and referring clients to them. However, they tended to perceive a female PFT more favorably for discussing their struggles with exercise. The percent of responses that were neutral or favored a male/female trainer yielded similar patterns. Overall, more people indicated positive attitudes toward a male than a female PFT for expectations of fitness knowledge (31.3% vs. 5.5%), as well as willingness to follow the trainer’s directions (29.9% vs. 10.9%), working with the trainer for an extended time (20.9% vs. 11.9%), and referring other clients to the trainer (17.4% vs. 5.5%). For comfort discussing struggles with exercise, 41.8% indicated a preference for a female trainer with only 24.4% preferring a male trainer. For most items, 50-60% of participants indicated a neutral response (the same for a male or female trainer), with the exception of comfort discussing concerns for which only 33.3% indicated no preference.

Attitudes of Male and Female Respondents

As shown in Figure 2, responses of male and female exercisers showed clear gender differences. Mean values indicated men rated a male PFT higher than a female PFT for all items. By comparison, female exercisers’ responses tended to vary more across items, and average responses were near neutral for several items. The MANOVA indicated significant differences between male and female respondents were present [Wilks’ Lambda=.845, p<.001, ηp2=.16]. Follow up comparisons indicated significant differences for four items: expectations for the trainer to help meet personal fitness goals [t(199)=4.20, p<.001, Cohen’s d=1.14], willingness to follow the trainer’s directions [t(199)=2.71, p<.01, Cohen’s d=1.00], comfort discussing exercise struggles [t(199)=5.24, p<.001, Cohen’s d=1.24], and willingness to work with the trainer for an extended time [t(199)=2.01, p<.05, Cohen’s d=.93].

Gender-biased patterns were also evident in the percent of ratings which were neutral vs. favored a male or female PFT (see Table 2). A higher percent of male exercisers indicated they would be more comfortable discussing their struggles with a male (43.9%) than a female trainer (17.5%), whereas female exercisers indicated a preference for a female (51.4%) over a male PFT (16.9%). A similar same-gender preference was indicated for perceptions of the trainer’s desire to help meet personal fitness goals, and working with them for an extended time.

Attitudes of Younger vs. Older Exercisers

Older exercisers (aged 40 and over) tended to favor a male PFT for all items, whereas younger exercises (18-39 years) had more varied responses and were near neutral for several items (see Figure 3). Responses were found to vary significantly by age group [Wilks’ Lambda= .884, p<.05, ηp2=.06]. Follow-up comparisons indicated significant differences for two items: meeting personal goals [t(197)=2.88, p<.01, Cohen’s d=0.45], and discussing struggles [t(197)=3.18, p<.01, Cohen’s d=0.49]. As indicated in Table 3, for these items, older exercisers tended to have either neutral attitudes or favor a male trainer, whereas younger exercisers more often favored a female trainer.

Variation as a Function of Exercise Experience

Mean scores for individuals varying in exercise experience are shown in Figure 4. The MANOVA comparing responses was significant [Wilks’ Lambda=.839, p<.001, ηp2=.08]. One way ANOVA follow-up comparisons indicated a significant difference for only one item: expectations for the PFT’s knowledge [F(2,198=7.14, p<.001, ηp2=.086]. Post-hoc Student-Newman-Keuls comparisons indicated beginning exercisers had significantly greater expectations of fitness knowledge for male trainers (p<.05), whereas knowledge expectations of male vs. female trainers were similar for exercisers with intermediate or advanced experience. Examination of response percentages (Table 4) shows a clear pattern of reduced gender-bias as exercise experience increased. For example, only 35.6% of beginner-level exercisers indicated expectations for a trainer to help them meet personal exercise goals would be the same for a male or female trainer, but this neutral rating increasing to 53.8% of intermediate exercisers, and 64.7% of advanced exercisers. This same pattern of increasing neutral response with higher exercise experience was observed for all items.

DISCUSSION

Research supports the benefits of exercising with a PFT (2, 14, 22, 30, 32, 40), and evidence suggests that gender plays a role in exercise attitudes and behaviors, including selection of a trainer (20, 26, 35, 39). Previous survey-based research on attitudes toward male and female PFTs have studied undergraduate students; attitudes of adult fitness center members have not been investigated. An additional limitation of existing research is the failure to examine variables that may play a role in these attitudes. This study examined attitudes toward male and female PFTs among 201 adult fitness center members. Perceptions were reported for the entire sample, and analyzed relative to participant gender, age group, and exercise experience.

As a whole, more participants favored a male over a female trainer for expectations of fitness-related knowledge, willingness for follow the trainer’s directions, working with the trainer for an extended time, and referring other clients to them. However, adults tended to be more comfortable discussing struggles and concerns with exercise with a female trainer. Fisher et al. (15) similarly reported college students had a more positive attitude about discussing progress with female than male trainers.

Age Differences

Our results showed age-related attitudinal differences. Specifically, older exercisers favored a male PFT, whereas younger respondents favored a female PFT primarily with respect to two items: assistance achieving personal goals and discussing exercise-related struggles. These findings are different from those reported in studies of college students, who overall, viewed female PFTs as more competent and knowledgeable than males (5, 15). Thus, these age-related attitudinal differences may be one of the more notable findings of this study, and may reflect changes in broader gender role-related attitudes among generations (10, 13).

Differences among Male and Female Exercisers

Comparisons between the responses of male and female exercisers revealed two important findings. First, men rated a male PFT higher than a female PFT for all items, while female exercisers’ ratings were more neutral. This is consistent with previous research on college students (5) and Division I university athletes (28) that indicated males preferred to work with a male PFT or strength coach, while females had no clear preference. Second, large and significant differences were observed between responses of men and women for several attitudes including those associated with knowledge, help meet personal goals, following directions, discussing concerns, and working with the trainer for an extended time. While men rated a male PFT higher for all items, women had more favorable perceptions of female PFTs for two specific items: discussing their struggles with exercise, and expectations regarding the trainer’s desire to help them meet personal fitness goals.

These findings align favorably with the results of previous interview-based studies indicating that women who choose a female PFT attribute this decision to beliefs that a female would have a greater empathy for them, and a better understanding of their bodies, struggles, and comfort levels (27, 34). These findings are also consistent with gender-preference research in healthcare. Drummond et al. (12), for example, found that college athletes felt more comfortable when provided care by an athletic trainer of the same gender, and a same-gender healthcare provider preference has been found for physicians and nurses when interactions are of an intimate nature (6, 23). When providing reasons for a healthcare provider of the same gender, women indicate it is due to comfort levels discussing problems and the perception that a female provider will take more personal interest in them (23).

Experience as a Mediator of Gender-Bias

We also examined attitudes toward male/female PFTs as a function of exercise experience, and used self-ratings as the basis for group formation. Comparisons indicated that, as exercise experience increased, gender-biased ratings decreased. Among beginning exercisers, 37% indicated their expectations for a PFT’s knowledge was neutral (the same for a male or female), whereas 65% of intermediate and 90% of advanced exercisers indicated so. This pattern of increasing gender-neutrality with exercise experience was observed for all items. These results suggest that gender-biased attitudes toward male/female PFTs may reduce with experience. This interpretation is consistent with the ideas that, while fitness-based attitudes and practices are influenced by gender norms and expectations, they are not fixed, but are fluid and can be changed with experience (3, 4, 20).

CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS, AND DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

The results of this study indicate that many adult exercisers have gender-biased perceptions of PFTs with higher expectations for a male trainer’s fitness-based knowledge, and willingness to follow a male trainer’s directions and refer clients to him, yet are more comfortable discussing their struggles with a female trainer. Consistent with prior research on college students, these attitudes vary with participant gender. Men had stronger preferences for a same-gender PFT than women did, yet many women tended to favor a female PFT for interest in their personal goals and discussing their struggles and concerns. In addition, potentially important findings from this study are that gender-biased attitudes varied by age and exercise experience. Further research examining how these and other factors and experiences influence gender-referenced perceptions of fitness and fitness professionals is warranted, as is extending research on fitness-related attitudes beyond that of college students.

Previous research on this topic (5, 15) has primarily surveyed convenience samples of undergraduate students whose participation and experience in exercise was unknown, whereas participants in this study were adult fitness center members primarily between 20 and 39 years of age, most who identified as having intermediate or advanced exercise experience, and who exercised 3 or more times a week. Thus, the findings of this study may be more generalizable to typical adults who exercise on a regular basis. However, it should be acknowledged that, while data were derived from a sample of adults from multiple fitness centers, all gyms were from the same region of the U.S., and respondents were primarily female. Age-related differences were examined among two groups with an arbitrary dividing point. Thus, future research on this topic using more varied samples, more adult males, among varying age groups, and additional potentially influential variables is recommended.

APPLICATIONS IN SPORT

Fitness professionals should recognize that gender plays a role in exercise attitudes and behaviors, including the selection of PFTs and exercise leaders to work with. Data from this study highlight specific beliefs that may play a role in PFT preferences, and how these preferences vary with exerciser’s gender, age, and level of exercise experience. As a result, fitness professionals can strive to behave and communicate in ways that both support clients’ preference, but also seek to overcome biases that may exist.

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An examination of studies related to Brazilian jiu-jitsu in enhancing mental and physical health among veterans and first responders: A scoping review

Authors: Richard O. Segovia PhD, EdD1, Alexander Buelna, PhD2, and Brian Sunderman, MA3

1School of Education, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, USA
2College of Social and Behavioral Health, Walden University, Minneapolis, MN, USA
3School of Security and Global Studies, American Military University, Charles Town, WV, USA



Corresponding Author:

Richard O. Segovia, PhD, EdD

1971 University Blvd

Lynchburg VA, 24515

[email protected]

737-330-6288

Richard O. Segovia, PhD, EdD, is an adjunct professor and dissertation chair at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, and an academic evaluator at Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dr. Segovia’s research interests focus on learning and teaching, combat sports, law enforcement practices, and educational leadership.

Alexander Buelna, PhD, is currently a deputy associate commissioner with Texas Health and Human Services. Dr. Buelna’s areas of research interest includes post-traumatic stress’s impact on veterans and efficient business processes.

Brian Sunderman, MA, is the officer in charge of the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Arrest and Control Tactics Unit. Lieutenant Sunderman’s research interests include the utility of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in law enforcement as a law enforcement force option

An examination of studies related to Brazilian jiu-jitsu in enhancing mental and physical health among veterans and first responders: A scoping review

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This scoping review explores the many benefits of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) on veterans and first responders, focusing on physical health improvements, psychological benefits, and social integration. The purpose is to synthesize existing literature to identify research gaps and suggest directions for future studies. By examining both qualitative and quantitative research, this review seeks to show the utility of BJJ as a therapeutic modality option and propose it as a comprehensive intervention for enhancing the overall well-being of veterans and first responders. Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar searches were conducted to capture a broad range of studies involving BJJ with veterans or first responders. This review adheres to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, focusing on studies discussing physical, mental, and social outcomes. Results: The initial search yielded numerous qualitative and quantitative studies. This review categorizes the findings into themes of physical health improvements, psychological benefits, and social integration, highlighting the variability and scope of the existing literature. Conclusions: The review highlights the need for well-structured research to substantiate BJJ’s therapeutic benefits. It recommends areas for in-depth exploration in future systematic reviews or primary studies, especially longitudinal studies on BJJ’s effects and specific therapeutic contributions. Application in Sport: For coaches and trainers, integrating BJJ into programs for veterans and first responders enhances physical fitness and mental health. BJJ improves cardiovascular health, strength, and endurance and reduces PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms. BJJ supports mental resilience and provides a supportive community, helping in social integration and reducing isolation. Incorporating BJJ can holistically enhance the recovery and effectiveness of veterans and first responders.

Key Words: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, veteran rehabilitation, PTSD management, therapeutic exercise, community integration

INTRODUCTION

In examining the multi-layered impacts of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) on enhancing veterans’ and first responders’ mental and physical health, this scoping review examines a significant, emergent area of therapeutic practices. BJJ, a martial art known for its detailed focus on ground fighting and submission holds, offers more than physical training. It is a dynamic intervention that promotes psychological resilience and aids in social reintegration. By synthesizing various studies [6, 13], this review illuminates how BJJ improves physical mobility and mental health outcomes and facilitates the reintegration of veterans into civilian life. Through structured training sessions, BJJ fosters a supportive community environment, addressing the complex rehabilitation needs of veterans and first responders by bridging physical exertion and focus with mental health support. This review explores BJJ’s profound benefits across rehabilitative settings, substantiating its therapeutic value with empirical evidence and detailed analysis.

Although primarily a fighting style and a sport, many are beginning to embrace BJJ as a powerful therapeutic intervention for various purposes. Current research confirms potential scientific benefits from the use of BJJ in physical rehabilitation, psychological resilience, and social integration for populations experiencing high levels of stress – specifically, veterans and first responders. This review is essential at a historical moment when BJJ seems to have a place in therapeutic settings, yet anecdotal evidence essentially underpins current practice. At the same time, an emerging body of empirical literature supports its effectiveness as a sport and work of art. Drawing from qualitative and quantitative research metrics, this scoping review intends to synthesize and expand on the current understanding of BJJ’s multifaceted benefits. This review is relevant because the populations best served by BJJ’s transformative power experience complex physical, mental, and social challenges. These challenges significantly affect vulnerable populations, such as veterans and first responders, due to the cumulative (and sometimes unique) occupational stressors in their working environments.

The purpose of this scoping review is (1) to consider BJJ’s effect on physical health, (2) to assess the psychological benefits of BJJ, (3) to assess BJJ’s social integration utility, and (4) to identify research gaps and potential future studies as it applies to veterans and first responders.

Literature Review

As BJJ gains recognition not only as a martial art but also as a valuable tool for rehabilitation and recovery, it is important to critically examine the breadth and depth of its impact through scholarly research. This review examines the role of BJJ in enhancing the mental and physical health of veterans and first responders, drawing on a rich array of literature that spans clinical studies, systematic reviews, and observational research. This review aims to bridge the gap between theoretical approaches and practical applications in BJJ by synthesizing evidence from diverse academic sources, highlighting its efficacy in fostering physical resilience and psychological and social well-being. The literature discusses how BJJ contributes to rehabilitation processes, supports mental health recovery, and facilitates community reintegration, offering a comprehensive analysis of its benefits.

Rehabilitation and Recovery for Veterans

Rehabilitation and Recovery for Veterans

In recent years, BJJ has emerged as a pivotal intervention for enhancing veterans’ and first responders’ mental and physical well-being. As previously mentioned, this martial art is known for its emphasis on ground fighting and submission. It offers more than just physical training; it provides a structured environment that fosters psychological resilience and social reintegration. For example, studies [3, 16] have documented the significant benefits BJJ offers in rehabilitating soldiers and aiding veterans with PTSD, highlighting improvements in both physical mobility and mental health outcomes. Furthermore, a separate study [5] discusses BJJ’s role in easing veterans’ transition into civilian life, leveraging the discipline’s community-centric nature to combat isolation and build lasting social networks. These collective findings underscore BJJ’s unique position as a therapeutic modality capable of addressing the complex spectrum of veterans’ needs by bridging rigorous physical challenges with psychological and social support.

Physical Rehabilitation and Psychological Recovery

An article on the benefits of BJJ for solider rehabilitation [6] discusses the significant role of BJJ in soldiers’ physical rehabilitation and mental recovery. BJJ’s comprehensive approach helps improve physical mobility and flexibility, often compromised during active-duty service. Engaging in BJJ aids in building both strength and endurance, which is critical for the comprehensive recovery of injured soldiers. Moreover, the mental aspects of BJJ, such as focus and discipline, contribute significantly to psychological resilience, helping soldiers overcome trauma and stress-related challenges.

Additionally, BJJ provides a supportive community for soldiers, fostering a sense of belonging and mutual understanding among peers, which is vital during rehabilitation. This social support, combined with physical training, makes BJJ an effective rehabilitation tool, addressing recovering soldiers’ physical and psychological needs. By participating in BJJ, soldiers work on their physical rehabilitation and gain confidence and mental strength, which are vital for their successful reintegration into everyday life.

PTSD Management and Community Integration

BJJ provides veterans a therapeutic environment that fosters mental discipline and builds a strong community. Engaging in BJJ allows veterans to experience controlled physical interactions, which can be crucial for regaining trust in their bodily responses and reducing hyperarousal associated with PTSD [8]. The structured setting of BJJ classes offers a predictable and safe environment where veterans can learn new skills in a supportive atmosphere. This aspect of predictability and control is essential for helping veterans manage PTSD symptoms effectively.

In addition, the communal aspect of BJJ encourages veterans to form supportive relationships with peers who may share similar experiences. These social connections are invaluable as they help combat the isolation often felt after leaving military service [12]. Through regular training, veterans develop physical strength and emotional resilience, bolstered by the camaraderie found in BJJ gyms [12]. Participants frequently cite this community support as critical to their recovery and civilian life adjustment.

Sustained PTSD Relief

A study on BJJ training as a possible therapeutic modality [13] explored the specific benefits of BJJ for service members and veterans who have PTSD. The research [13] shows significant improvements in PTSD symptoms among participants attributed to the physical exertion and mental focus required in BJJ training. The study highlights how BJJ helps in developing coping strategies for stress and trauma, which are critical for long-term mental health recovery. The repetitive nature of drills and the controlled physical engagements provide a therapeutic outlet for aggression and pent-up emotions.

The study also emphasizes the sense of accomplishment and increased self-esteem from progressing in BJJ. These psychological benefits are crucial for veterans and service members who often struggle with self-worth after leaving service. Training in BJJ offers a structured environment to measure growth through skill levels, providing a tangible sense of progression usually needed after military service.

Reintegration and Social Reconnection

BJJ has also been studied [5] as a powerful tool for veterans’ reintegration into civilian life. The study [5] suggests that BJJ’s disciplined environment helps veterans transition by providing a structured routine similar to that experienced in the military. This similarity helps mitigate the culture shock many veterans experience post-service. Additionally, the physical demands of BJJ provide a healthy outlet for stress and aggression, which are common challenges for veterans adjusting to civilian life.

Furthermore, BJJ fosters a sense of community and brotherhood among its practitioners, which mirrors the camaraderie found in the military. This aspect of social support is crucial for veterans who may feel isolated after their service [5]. The shared experiences in training can lead to lasting friendships and a support network that assists with reintegration, making BJJ an influential social and psychological tool for veterans.

Enhancing Law Enforcement Capabilities

BJJ is also proving to be a transformative tool for law enforcement, offering a multifaceted approach to officer training that extends beyond physical tactics to include significant mental and emotional benefits. BJJ training enhances mental acuity, decision-making under pressure, and interpersonal skills, which are essential in the high-stress context of law enforcement work [9]. These skills help officers manage stressful encounters more effectively, promoting a mindset geared toward de-escalation and controlled responses rather than aggression.

Furthermore, another study [7] highlights the practical impacts of BJJ on use of force protocols, showing how these techniques help maintain calm and control during confrontations, reducing the likelihood of unreasonable or excessive force. This aspect of BJJ training not only improves officer safety but also the safety of the community by minimizing potentially harmful physical interactions. Meanwhile, positive changes in the Marietta Police Department, where BJJ training has reduced injuries and complaints regarding force use, demonstrate BJJ’s potential to enhance team morale and effectiveness [10].

Mental Acuity and Interpersonal Skills Improvement

Research [9] shows the extensive benefits of BJJ, emphasizing its impact beyond just physical techniques to include mental and emotional enhancements. BJJ training can significantly improve mental acuity and decision-making under pressure in law enforcement, where officers often encounter high-stress situations. The practice also fosters resilience and patience, skills that are beneficial in both personal and professional settings. BJJ’s focus on mindfulness and present-moment awareness helps officers handle stressful encounters more calmly and with greater understanding.

Furthermore, the training enhances interpersonal skills, essential for officers who must de-escalate tense situations without resorting to excessive force. BJJ teaches control and restraint, promoting a mindset of protection rather than aggression. Officers trained in BJJ are often better equipped to maintain their safety and that of others while minimizing harm and managing physical confrontations effectively [7]. This holistic approach to training makes BJJ an invaluable tool for law enforcement agencies.

Police Use of Force

An article on the impact of BJJ training on improving use-of-force protocols within law enforcement concluded that training helps officers maintain calm and control in high-stress situations, reducing the likelihood of excessive force [7]. BJJ provides officers with effective yet non-lethal techniques, crucial in safely managing physical confrontations. Additionally, the discipline and mental focus developed through consistent BJJ practice enhance officers’ decision-making abilities, allowing them to assess situations more accurately and respond appropriately. The article suggests that BJJ improves individual officer performance and fosters greater trust and cooperation between law enforcement and the communities they serve, ultimately contributing to safer and more effective policing practices.

The article also discusses the psychological benefits of BJJ training, such as increased confidence and reduced anxiety, which can significantly affect how officers perceive and respond to threats. The enhanced decision-making skills and better judgment officers develop through BJJ training can lead to more positive outcomes in policing encounters, promoting safer community interactions.

Improved Outcomes in Law Enforcement

Research [10] reports on successfully implementing a BJJ program in the Marietta Police Department. The program has led to measurable improvements in officer outcomes, including reduced injuries and fewer complaints regarding the use of force. The training emphasizes skill over strength, equipping officers with the knowledge to control situations effectively without escalating violence.

Furthermore, the program has been instrumental in building team morale and solidarity among officers. The shared experience of training and improving together has strengthened the department’s internal community, which translates into more effective teamwork in the field. This solidarity is crucial for maintaining high standards of police work and ensuring the safety of both officers and the community they serve.

Injury Prevention and Safety Enhancement

The 2021 BJJ Training Data Documents a Reduction in Injuries report from the Marietta (GA) Police Department (MPD), highlighting the tangible benefits of BJJ training in reducing injuries among police officers. The MPD report concludes that comprehensive physical training enhances flexibility, strength, and overall body awareness, leading to this reduction [10]. Officers trained in BJJ are better prepared to handle physical confrontations safely and efficiently, protecting themselves and the individuals with whom they interact. The skills learned in BJJ allow officers to apply force in a controlled manner, significantly lowering the risk of injury.

The data from MPD [3] also underscores the potential for BJJ training to transform standard police training protocols. By incorporating BJJ, departments can ensure that their officers are not only physically capable but also mentally prepared to handle the stresses of law enforcement. This proactive approach to training can reduce workers’ compensation claims, decrease sick leaves due to injuries, and improve overall morale within the department.

Enhancing Physical Fitness and Mental Health

BJJ is a profound physical discipline and a significant enhancer of mental health and community building [1]. This unique martial art offers physiological benefits and underscores how regular BJJ training improves cardiovascular health, muscular strength, and endurance [1]. The mental advantages, such as increased focus and stress reduction, are pivotal in making BJJ a holistic practice for personal health and fitness.

Further insights from the benefits of BJJ in managing PTSD [12] and BJJ as a form of social and psychological therapy [4] deepen our understanding of BJJ’s impact. One longitudinal study demonstrates the sustained effectiveness of BJJ in managing PTSD symptoms, offering a potential therapeutic pathway for veterans and others suffering from chronic stress disorders [12]. Parallelly, a review of BJJ’s social and psychological benefits emphasizes its role in forging strong community ties and enhancing cognitive functions through strategy formulation and problem-solving challenges [4]. Together, these studies [12, 4] present a compelling case for integrating BJJ into wellness and therapy programs to bolster physical robustness and foster a supportive social environment.

Physiological and Psychological Benefits

One systematic review [1] of the extensive physical and physiological demands placed on individuals who practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu suggests that BJJ is effective in enhancing cardiovascular health, muscular strength, and endurance. The review also notes the mental benefits of regular, intense physical activity, such as improved focus and stress reduction. The comprehensive nature of BJJ training makes it an excellent form of exercise for improving overall fitness and health.

Furthermore, the review discusses how BJJ athletes develop unique physiological adaptations that enhance their performance. These include increased aerobic capacity, better body composition, and superior muscular endurance. The insights provided by this review suggest that BJJ could be beneficial in cross-training for various activities due to its all-encompassing physical demands and the mental toughness it develops.

Longitudinal Insights

Research provides compelling evidence through a longitudinal study that BJJ has sustained benefits in managing PTSD among veterans [12]. This longitudinal study followed participants over a period, noting significant and lasting decreases in PTSD symptoms among those who regularly engage in BJJ. The work suggests that the combination of physical activity, mental focus, and social interaction inherent in BJJ practice contributes to these positive outcomes.

In addition, the study also highlights how the repetitive and immersive nature of BJJ training can serve as a form of exposure therapy, where participants gradually face and gain control over stress triggers in a controlled environment. Although the work focused on PTSD management among veterans, PTSD is not exclusive only to that group (e.g., law enforcement officers or others who have PTSD after a traumatic event). This method of coping can lead to profound changes in how individuals who suffer from PTSD process and react to stress, potentially providing a blueprint for integrating BJJ into broader PTSD treatment programs.

Building Resilience and Community

In a systematic review, a researcher examined the role of BJJ as both a social and psychological therapy [4]. The review consolidates findings from multiple studies, illustrating how BJJ aids in building strong community ties, which is essential for mental health. The physical closeness and mutual trust required in BJJ training create a unique social dynamic that fosters interpersonal relationships and a supportive network, offering a sense of belonging and community that is often therapeutic. Moreover, the review details how the mental challenges presented in BJJ—such as strategy formulation and problem-solving—enhance cognitive functions and contribute to psychological resilience. These mental benefits complement the physical aspects of BJJ, creating a holistic therapy modality that addresses multiple facets of psychological health.

METHODS

A scoping review of the literature was appropriate to meet the objectives of this study and answer the research question: What benefits does Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) training provide for veterans and first responders in terms of physical, mental, and social health?

This study’s protocol was developed using the scoping review methodological framework [2]. The draft protocol for this review was analyzed by research colleagues and implemented. The protocol consisted of a series of five stages, details of the search strategy and steps of the review process included:

Identifying and collecting relevant studies: Literature searches were conducted across four electronic bibliographic databases: PubMed and Google Scholar. An initial search using the search terms “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,” “veterans,” “first responders,” “rehabilitation,” “physical health,” “mental health,” and “community integration” was conducted. This search established salient parameters and eight key search terms to conduct additional searches across the four databases. Those eight critical terms included: (i) Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and veterans; (ii) Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and first responders; (iii) BJJ and PTSD; (iv) BJJ for physical rehabilitation; (v) BJJ and conflict resolution; (vi) mental health benefits of BJJ; (vii) physical health benefits of BJJ; and (viii) social integration through BJJ. The collected literature was then screened for relevance to the research question. After removing duplicates, studies were assessed for eligibility. Reference lists of eligible studies were further screened for additional relevant studies.

Study selection: Inclusion and exclusion criteria were established to filter and guide searches for relevant literature. To be included, literature from searches had to meet four inclusion criteria: (i) be from a peer-reviewed journal, a conference presentation, or a published thesis; (ii) published in the English language; (iii) include documented interventions or analysis related to BJJ; and (iv) be quantitative or qualitative. The literature was not restricted by time frame, study population, geographical publication, or type/design of journal article. Collected literature that did not meet all criteria was excluded. However, two colleagues analyzed conflicting literature to reach a consensus for inclusion. By applying the eligibility criteria, two reviewers screened the articles for selection. Blinding was applied at this stage to ensure no bias between reviewers in the selection process. All conflicts between the two reviewers, generated through screening, were discussed to reach a consensus. When conflict remained, the opinion of a third reviewer was sought to reach a consensus. Initially, articles were selected from the title and abstract screening. A second, more in-depth selection was then conducted through full-text screening. December 3, 2023, was the last date that the search was executed.

Charting the data: Once included articles were selected, data was extracted and charted according to author, title, journal, publication year, geographical location, purpose, sample size and type, methodology, intervention type, outcomes, key findings, and barriers. One author extracted and grouped the data, and another validated the data to ensure accuracy. Data were organized and grouped into subtopics according to the identified study purposes: (i) physical health benefits of BJJ; (ii) mental health benefits of BJJ; (iii) social integration through BJJ; (iv) PTSD and BJJ; (v) conflict resolution skills through BJJ; and (vi) physical rehabilitation through BJJ.

Summarizing and synthesizing the results: Authors collectively compared and discussed the charted data. Descriptive statistics were performed to characterize the research literature and to identify the breadth and gaps. Trends across geographic locations and decades of publication of included studies were evaluated. The study results were examined and discussed within each thematic area to determine trends and commonalities. Barriers and gaps were identified within the literature to suggest future areas of study. A consensus between all three authors regarding the critical information generated from the review was reached.

In addition to the scoping review methodological framework proposed by leading scholars in the scoping review methodologies [2]. The researchers for this review followed the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist [11]. No risk of bias assessment, summary measures, or additional analyses were conducted in this scoping review following the PRISMA-ScR [11]. No formal review protocol exists.

Figure 1. PRISMA 2020 Flow Diagram. 

Physical Health Benefits

The studies reviewed consistently demonstrated that BJJ training significantly enhances physical fitness, mobility, and injury rehabilitation. According to one study [1], participants showed marked improvements in cardiovascular health, muscular strength, and endurance. These findings align with the report from MPD, which documented a reduction in injuries among law enforcement officers engaged in BJJ, attributing these benefits to the increased physical conditioning that BJJ provides [3]. This comprehensive approach to physical health not only aids in immediate injury recovery but also contributes to long-term physical wellness.

In one example, the graph below adapted data from a study of physical and physiological profiles of BJJ athletes [1] and shows the peak and mean power values for those who train in BJJ, highlighting its intense physical demands.

The graph displays anaerobic power values from two distinct studies. The study of physical and physiological profiles of BJJ athletes [1] dataset provides measurements for both peak power and mean power: 

  • Peak Power: This represents the highest instantaneous power output achieved by the athletes during the test. 
  • Mean Power: Reflects the average power maintained throughout the Wingate test, typically 30 seconds. 

The colors differentiate the types of power measured: 

  • Red Bars: Peak power values from two studies. 
  • Green Bars: Mean power values from the same studies. 

The graph highlights variations between studies, underscoring the need for consistent testing methodologies to compare anaerobic capacity accurately across different research. However, the researcher concluded that BJJ athletes possess considerable anaerobic capacity, with peak power outputs exceeding 10 W/kg and mean power outputs close to 10 W/kg. These values demonstrate the athletes’ proficiency in generating and sustaining high levels of power, essential during competitive grappling engagements, such as executing takedowns, resisting submissions, or applying forceful maneuvers. 

In another example, the chart below adapted data from MPD. It showed three distinct bars, each representing the percentage reduction in incidents due to BJJ training within the Marietta Police Department in 2020. 

  • The first bar shows a 48% reduction in injuries to officers who used force, indicating significant safety improvements for the officers involved. 
  • The second bar illustrates a 53% reduction in injuries to persons who required force during arrest, highlighting the training’s role in protecting the officers and those they encounter. 
  • The third bar indicates a 23% reduction in Taser use, demonstrating a shift towards less reliance on electronic control devices, which can be critical in high-tension situations. 

Mental Health Benefits 

The mental health improvements associated with BJJ are particularly significant. Researchers who explored BJJ training for U.S. service members and veterans with symptoms of PTSD found substantial reductions in PTSD symptoms among veterans participating in BJJ, with benefits extending to decreased levels of depression and anxiety [13]. Interestingly, researchers who studied BJJ benefits in managing PTSD further supported these findings in their longitudinal study [12], which noted lasting mental health benefits from regular BJJ practice. The mental discipline and focus required in BJJ training foster an environment conducive to psychological healing and emotional stability, making it a valuable tool in mental health therapy. 

For example, this review adapted data from research on BJJ training for U.S. service members and veterans with symptoms of PTSD [13] and graphs the effect sizes calculated from PCL-5 assessments for veterans participating in BJJ training. The graph illustrates the effect sizes at two key intervals of their study: pre-treatment to mid-treatment and pre-treatment to post-treatment. To assess the impact of BJJ on PTSD symptoms among veterans and first responders, researchers measured changes in PTSD symptomatology using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and concluded decreased levels of depression and anxiety. 

Effect Sizes and Confidence Intervals 

The graph depicts effect sizes (Cohen’s d) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals to illustrate the magnitude and precision of changes in PTSD symptoms from pre-treatment to mid-treatment and from pre-treatment to post-treatment. 

Statistical Significance 

The p-values associated with these findings underscore the statistical significance of the observed improvements, suggesting that the effects are attributable to the BJJ intervention. 

Social and Community Aspects 

The findings illustrated BJJ’s role in enhancing social interactions and building community ties. For example, one researcher examined BJJ as a possible social and psychological therapeutic modality and underscored how BJJ promotes camaraderie and supports systems among participants, creating a sense of belonging and mutual trust [4]. This community aspect is crucial, especially for veterans and first responders, who often experience isolation in their professional roles. The shared experience of BJJ training fosters solid interpersonal relationships and provides a supportive network that enhances the social well-being of its members. 

These results collectively illustrate BJJ’s comprehensive benefits, affirming its effectiveness across physical, mental, and social domains. Integrating BJJ into therapeutic and training programs offers a holistic approach to health and wellness, supporting individuals’ physical conditioning and psychological and social rehabilitation. 

For instance, this work adapted data from a study on BJJ as social and psychological therapy [4] and crafted a thematic map to illustrate the complex relationships between various aspects of BJJ and their outcomes.  

Reduces Negative Behaviors

he thematic map distinguishes between direct benefits and the pathways that facilitate these benefits, using color coding to enhance readability and understanding. It effectively encapsulates how BJJ is a multifaceted enhancer of psychosocial health. By detailing both the outcomes and the mechanisms, the map serves as a tool for understanding BJJ’s broad and nuanced impacts beyond the mat, supporting its integration into psychological and social rehabilitation programs.  

THEMES 

Multiple themes emerged from the outcomes assessed in the literature. One researcher with expertise in BJJ identified and categorized these themes, and studies were grouped into key categories inspired by different domains related to veterans and first responders. Most studies evaluated one specific theme within the context of BJJ while acknowledging others to a lesser degree; however, some overlap of themes emerged in studies. Table 1 groups all studies by theme, variable, citation, and geographical region. 

Table 1. Summary of all themes, the variable(s) assessed in each theme, and the studies that assessed the variable(s). 

Theme Variable(s) Assessed Studies Geographical Region 
Physical Health Benefits Cardiovascular health, muscular strength, endurance [1] Brazil 
Mental Health Benefits PTSD symptom reduction, depression, anxiety [12, 13] USA 
Social Integration Community participation, support networks [4] Sweden 
PTSD Management PTSD symptomatology [13] USA 
Conflict Resolution Skills De-escalation techniques, stress management [7, 9] USA 
Physical Rehabilitation Mobility, injury recovery [6] USA 
Law Enforcement Training Use of force, injury reduction [10] USA 
Psychological Resilience Mental focus, emotional stability [4, 12] USA, Sweden 
Community Building and Support Systems Camaraderie, mutual trust [4] Sweden 
Implementation Strategies Integration into therapy programs Various Various 

From the included literature: (1) physical health benefits of BJJ; (2) mental health benefits of BJJ; (3) social integration through BJJ; (4) BJJ’s role in PTSD management; (5) BJJ for conflict resolution skills; and (6) BJJ for physical rehabilitation, all occupied the primary purpose of the greatest number of studies. Other pertinent topics included: (7) BJJ’s impact on law enforcement training; (8) psychological resilience through BJJ; (9) community building and support systems through BJJ; and (10) strategies for implementing BJJ in therapeutic settings, which were the secondary focus of some studies and integrated into studies with another primary focus. 

DISCUSSION 

This scoping review aimed to define and evaluate the quantitative and qualitative data regarding the effects of BJJ on veterans and first responders. It was conducted through standard methods outlined by leading scholars in the field [2] to identify, select, and synthesize the findings from 11 studies. The current knowledge of BJJ was documented by analyzing the geographic scope of studies, the year of publication, and the specific themes that emerged from the literature. Provided below are significant results of this review that can be relevant for future researchers, practitioners, and BJJ instructors. 

The included studies revealed evidence of BJJ’s physical health benefits. Participants showed marked improvements in cardiovascular health, muscular strength, and endurance [1]. These physical health benefits were consistent across different populations and settings, highlighting BJJ’s utility in enhancing overall fitness and aiding injury rehabilitation [10]. Despite these positive findings, further research is needed to establish standardized protocols for measuring these benefits across diverse groups. 

The literature also prominently discussed BJJ’s mental health benefits. Substantial reductions in PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety were reported among veterans participating in BJJ [12, 13] These findings suggest that BJJ provides a supportive environment conducive to psychological healing and emotional stability. The mental discipline and focus required in BJJ training foster an environment that encourages mindfulness and stress reduction. However, the mechanisms underlying these mental health benefits are not fully understood and warrant further investigation. 

Social integration emerged as a significant theme, with BJJ promoting camaraderie and support systems among participants. Studies highlighted how BJJ fosters a sense of belonging and mutual trust, crucial for veterans and first responders who often experience isolation in their professional roles [4]. The communal aspect of BJJ training helps build strong interpersonal relationships and provides a supportive network that enhances social well-being. Future research should explore how these social benefits can be optimized further to support the reintegration of veterans into civilian life. 

BJJ’s role in enhancing law enforcement capabilities was another key finding. BJJ training improves mental acuity, decision-making under pressure, and interpersonal skills, which are essential in the high-stress context of law enforcement work [7, 9]. The practical impacts of BJJ as a response to resistance option were also noted, with reduced injuries and complaints regarding the use of force in departments that implemented BJJ training programs [10]. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating BJJ into law enforcement training to enhance officer safety and effectiveness. 

Technological advancements in BJJ training were less frequently discussed but are becoming increasingly relevant. Integrating AI and other technologies to enhance training and performance tracking could revolutionize how BJJ practitioners train and improve [12]. Future research should explore the potential of these technologies in providing more precise and individualized training programs. 

Comparisons across gender and skill levels revealed essential insights into how different populations benefit from BJJ training. Differences in physical and psychological responses to BJJ were noted, suggesting that tailored training programs may be necessary to optimize benefits for diverse groups [1]. Future studies should continue to explore these differences to develop more inclusive and effective training methodologies. 

The inclusion of wheelchair BJJ and adaptive training for individuals with disabilities was minimal but highlighted the need for more inclusive research. Studies focused on the biomechanics of BJJ for wheelchair users and its potential benefits in promoting physical and mental health [6]. Expanding research in this area could lead to better support and training for individuals with disabilities. 

Future Research 

Understanding the many benefits of BJJ for veterans and first responders is unquestionable. Continued research should aim to standardize measurement protocols and explore the long-term impacts of BJJ training. Future studies should also consider integrating technological advancements and developing adaptive training programs to support diverse populations. By expanding the scope of research to include mixed-double formats and other variations of BJJ, researchers can develop a more comprehensive understanding of its benefits and applications. 

Strengths and Limitations of this Scoping Review 

This scoping review applied a systematic and rigorous search strategy to retrieve a comprehensive range of articles addressing the benefits of BJJ for veterans and first responders. Considering both peer-reviewed journal articles and grey literature, the review captured a broad spectrum of knowledge, including unpublished theses and conference presentations. However, some studies were unintentionally omitted due to limited access, and the exclusion of non-English language studies may have skewed the geographic analysis of the literature. Additionally, the reliance on self-reported data in many studies introduces potential biases that should be addressed in future research. 

CONCLUSIONS 

This study sought to review the literature on the benefits of BJJ for veterans and first responders, focusing on physical, mental, and social health outcomes. It answers this study’s research question and presents the current knowledge for each identified theme, providing opportunities for future research. This scoping review will aid in building a more comprehensive understanding of BJJ’s therapeutic mechanisms and significantly contribute to optimizing its application in rehabilitative and therapeutic settings. A growing body of research is being conducted globally on BJJ’s benefits. The current literature reveals substantial evidence of BJJ’s positive impact on physical fitness, mental health, and social integration. However, the varying methodologies and outcomes of the included studies indicate that more rigorous research is needed to elucidate BJJ’s mechanisms of action fully. This scoping review provides an impetus for further research on BJJ’s effects on specific populations, including adaptive training for individuals with disabilities and integrating technological advancements in training. Studies included in this scoping review only scratched the surface of these variables and their impact on the well-being of veterans and first responders. Future research should aim to expand on these findings to develop a more comprehensive understanding of BJJ’s potential as a therapeutic tool.  

APPLICATIONS IN SPORT 

Integrating BJJ into training programs for veterans and first responders provides a versatile approach to enhancing their physical, mental, and social well-being. Coaches and trainers can leverage BJJ to significantly improve cardiovascular health, muscular strength, and endurance, which are essential for the physically demanding roles of these professionals. The mental health benefits of BJJ are particularly noteworthy; the studies in this review show it reduces symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety, thereby promoting emotional resilience and effective stress management. Furthermore, BJJ’s structured and strategic nature supports mental acuity and decision-making under pressure, which are necessary skills for operational effectiveness. Socially, BJJ offers a sense of community and mutual support, aiding in the social integration of veterans and first responders and mitigating feelings of isolation. By incorporating BJJ into their training regimes, coaches and trainers can deliver a holistic program that enhances physical fitness and supports psychological health and social connectivity, ultimately improving the overall recovery, resilience, and operational readiness of veterans and first responders. This comprehensive approach underscores BJJ’s value as a therapeutic intervention in sports training programs for these populations. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

The authors confirm that all the research in this work has met ethical guidelines and adhered to the legal requirements of the United States of America. In addition, the principal investigator is compliant with the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program on social and behavioral researchers and social and behavioral responsible conduct of research training. Furthermore, this work was not funded, the authors declare no conflict of interest, and it did not contain studies with human participants or animals performed by the principal investigator. 

References

1Andreato, L., Lara, F., Andrade, A., & Branco, B. (2017). Physical and physiological profiles of Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes: A systematic review. Sports Medicine – Open, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-016-0069-5

2Arksey, H., & O’malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. International journal of social research methodology, 8(1), 19-32.

3BJJ training data documents a reduction in injuries. (2021). Marietta, GA. https://www.mariettaga.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=3116#:~:text=MPD%20officers%20participating%20in%20Brazilian,arrested%20when%20force%20was%20required

4Blomqvist Mickelsson, T. (2021). Brazilian jiu-jitsu as social and psychological therapy: a systematic review. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 21(3), 1544-1552.

5Collura, G. L. (2018). Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: A tool for veteran reassimilation. University of South Florida.

6Fender, R. (2024). Benefits of Brazilian jiu-jitsu for soldier rehabilitation. www.army.mil. https://www.army.mil/article/273135/benefits_of_brazilian_jiu_jitsu_for_soldier_rehabilitation

7Howard, R. (2022). Improving Use of Force Training for Officers. Florida Department of Law Enforcement. https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/FCJEI/Programs/SLP/Documents/Full-Text/Howard,-Rocky-paper.aspx

8Jiu-jitsu supporting veterans with PTSD. (n.d.). Mad Science Judo & Jiu-Jitsu. https://madsciencejudoandjiujitsu.com/blog/142261/Jiu-Jitsu-Supporting-Veterans-with-PTSD

9Kilby, T. (2022). The benefits of jiu-jitsu beyond technique. Police1. https://www.police1.com/health-wellness/articles/the-benefits-of-jiu-jitsu-beyond-technique-WaVZI8zAQXh9Gx5S/

10Rogers, K., Jones, P., & Burne, K. (2021). Marietta Police Department measurably improves officer outcomes with the BJJ program. Jitsmagazine.com. https://jitsmagazine.com/marietta-police-department-measurably-improves-officer-outcomes-with-bjj-program/.

11Tricco, A. C., Lillie, E., Zarin, W., O’Brien, K. K., Colquhoun, H., Levac, D., … & Straus, S. E. (2018). PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): checklist and explanation. Annals of internal medicine, 169(7), 467-473.

12Weinberger, K., & Burraston, T. (2021). Benefits of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Managing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Community Engagement & Scholarship, 13(4).

13Willing, A. E., Girling, S., Deichert, R., Wood-Deichert, R., Gonzalez, J., Hernandez, D., Foran, E., Sanberg, P. R., & Kip, K. E. (2019). Brazilian jiu-jitsu training for us service members and veterans with symptoms of PTSD. Military Medicine, 184(11-12), e626–e631. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usz074

2024-08-27T15:53:24-05:00August 30th, 2024|General, Sport Training, Sports Exercise Science|Comments Off on An examination of studies related to Brazilian jiu-jitsu in enhancing mental and physical health among veterans and first responders: A scoping review
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Navigating Darkness: College Athlete Suicide, Support Systems, and Shadows of Depression

Authors: Matt Moore, Ph. D, MSW 1, Anne M. W. Kelly, Ph. D 2, Lana Loken, Ed. D. ATC 2, Mastano N. Dzimbiri, MS 1, Payton Bennett, student

Corresponding Author:

Matt Moore, Ph. D, MSW
Chair and Faculty, Family Science and Social Work Department
Miami University
501 E. High Street
Email: [email protected]

Coaches’ Perspectives of the Influence of Safe Sport-Related Education 

ABSTRACT

Purpose: An increase in mental health concerns and suicide among young adults led to a sharpened research focus on suicide and college athletes. In this study, we investigated the relationship between college athletes’ risk of depression, suicidality, and their support system and whether preventing suicide deaths requires identification of commonly cited risk factors. Methods: Voluntary college athletes aged 18-years-old or older and attending an NAIA member institution participated in the study (n = 361). They completed a web-based instrument that consisted of the following: (1) demographic questionnaire, (2) Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), (3) Berlin Social Support Scale, and (4) Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Results: Between 5-18% of college athletes responded affirmatively to one of the questions asking about suicidality. There was a significant moderate negative correlation between the suicide predictor and the PHQ-9 score and significant weak positive correlations between the suicide predictor and perceived emotional support and between the suicide predictor and perceived instrumental support. Conclusion: This study identified findings that might be useful to practitioners and opened new lines for future research. Applications in Sport: College athletic programs and university counseling centers are poised to enhance our understanding of student-athletes’ suicidal distress and how to respond by making use of qualitative research methods. We strongly recommend adopting this strategy to address depression and suicidal ideation.


Keywords: prevention, student-athletes, mental health, risk factors

Introduction
Despite growing openness about mental health struggles, a disparity still exists between physical and mental health (Gorczynski et al., 2023; Moore et al., 2022), fostering stigma and hindering help-seeking behavior (Moore, 2017), particularly among college students (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2021). While mental health diagnoses in the college student population is a longstanding challenge, the COVID-19 pandemic increased stressors placed on the college student population leading to increased risks (Gupta & Agrawal, 2021; MacDonald & Neville, 2023).


According to the CDC (2021), mental health concerns and suicidal thoughts are increasing for youth and young adults. Forty percent of those surveyed showed signs and symptoms of depression and 20% said they had thoughts of suicide. These trends are similar to studies on college student mental health and suicidality (Barclay et al., 2023; Schmiedehaus et al., 2023). According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA, 2017) individuals aged 18-25 reported a 3% increase in major depressive episodes from 2015-2017. Additionally,18.9% of individuals 18 and above reported experiencing a mental illness in the past year, with 7.5% reporting a serious mental health illness (SAMHSA, 2017). A second SAMHSA (2021) study found 33.7% of individuals aged 18-25 reported a mental illness and 11.4% reported a serious mental illness.
In addition to concerns about serious mental health illness, SAMHSA (2021) found an increase in rates of suicidal behavior. Specifically, 10.5% reported having serious thoughts of suicide, 3.7% created a suicide plan, and 1.9% attempted suicide. Research by Rosenthal et al. (2023) found higher rates with 13.7% of college students reporting suicide ideation, 7.6% making a suicide plan, and 3.2% reporting at least one suicide attempt. In 2021 suicide became the leading cause of death for those aged 20-24 (CDC, 2023).
One subset of the college student population is college athletes. Recently, discussion of their mental health increased. Researchers attempted to explore the intersectional identity of student athletes and the effect that this role strain may have on mental health (Gorczynski et al., 2023; Moore et al., 2022). Quantifying mental health and suicide risk in this group is challenging, with conflicting results on the link between depression, support systems, and suicide. Many researchers see sport participation as a protective factor for mental health risk due to the social support provided by the team (Hui et al., 2023; Sullivan et al., 2020). But additional pressures like failure to successfully compete or live up to expectations, loss of social structure due to injury or retirement from sport, or time demands of the sport in addition to being a college student can increase the risk (Moore, 2017; Moore et al., 2022). This study builds upon existing research by looking more closely at the relationship between a college athletes’ risk of depression, suicidality, and their support system.


College Athletes and Depression
According to the American Psychological Association (2020), depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in the United States. Depression might include emotional, cognitive, physical, and/or behavioral symptoms and is best understood on a continuum of severity, rather than either present or not present. Findings amongst college athletes demonstrate that depression rates align with rates of the general population of college students (hovering around 25%) (Prinz et al., 2016; Wolanin et al., 2016), and some revealed that athletes have higher rates of depression (over 30%) than the general population (Cox, 2015). While many studies find similar rates between college athletes and their non-athlete peers, others show participation in college athletics can decrease one’s risk for depression (Banu, 2019; Salehioan et al., 2012).
Although some research shows athletic participation may protect against mental illness, there is still reason for concern for college athletes. A current study by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, 2022) surveyed almost 10,000 NCAA athletes from all three competitive division levels. Results showed athletes of all competition levels demonstrated elevated levels of mental exhaustion, anxiety, and depression. These levels were nearly two times higher than pre-pandemic levels. The top three factors negatively affecting mental health were academic worries (44%), planning for the future (37%), and financial worries (26%). Only 50% of college athletes believed mental health was a priority for their athletic department, 33% of college athletes did not know where to go to seek mental health services, and as many as 17% of college athletes reported feeling hopeless.


College Athletes and Suicide
Suicide risk in athletes is difficult to determine due to underreporting and misclassification of many sudden deaths. Over the past two decades the NCAA attempted to determine the risk of suicide specific to college athletes. Rao et al. (2015) reported that 7.3% of all athlete deaths were suicides, making suicide the fourth leading cause of death for college athletes. Previously, Miller and Hoffman (2009) found approximately 5% of student-athletes contemplated suicide. Much like research on college athlete depression, some research demonstrates sport protects against suicidality (Maron et al., 2014). This study’s findings highlight the importance of promoting participation in diverse sporting activities among college students given that engaging in such activities safeguards against depression and suicidal ideation by nurturing self-esteem and bolstering social support.


College Athletes and Social Support
The discrepancy in the literature may be accounted for by the supports that are available to college athletes and their willingness to seek such supports (Sullivan et al., 2020). One of the most discussed supports is the team environment. Sullivan et al. (2020) analyzed the effects of social supports on depressive symptoms in college athletes. They found emotional support from teammates, family, and friends was correlated with a decrease in depressive symptoms. Other more formal or instrumental supports that reduced depression included the availability of tutoring and health services, including mental health providers with specialization with athletes.
Social support has not been as extensively studied in the college athlete population. Studies show links between social support and burnout as well as social support and overall wellbeing in college athletes (Defreese & Smith, 2014). Research identified social support as an important component in allowing athletes to balance school and athletics (Carter-Francique, 2015). Many college athletes have strong social support networks naturally, such as relationships with teammates, coaches, medical staff, and other resources provided by the athletic department (Armstrong & Oomen-Early, 2009). They also have supportive relationships, such as family and friends, outside of athletics.
Despite knowledge of these available supports and benefits they offer college athletes, exploring the utilization of built-in athletic supports and personal supports unique to an individual athlete remains understudied. Much of the research tends to oversimplify social support. Due to its dynamic and complex nature, social support among college athletes merits further investigation. Research has not examined the differences in the type of perceived social support in collegiate athletics as it relates to levels of depressive symptoms and suicidality.

Present Study
Overall, the research on mental health issues, including depression and suicide in collegiate athletes is inconclusive. More research is needed to determine what factors put athletes at risk for severe mental health concerns and suicide. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between levels of depression and suicide risk and levels of social support among National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) college athletes. The NAIA does not have data available on connectedness between depression, social support, and suicide.

Methods

Procedures

Research Design
The current exploratory study utilized a cross-sectional, web-based survey design to gather data from NAIA college athletes. Considering the size of the NAIA student-athlete population, confidence level, confidence intervals, statistical test, and statistical power, the minimum sample for this study was 47 college athletes (Faul et al., 2007). Researchers identified athletic trainers through the NAIA database to establish contact information. Athletic trainers provided survey information to their assigned college athletes. This approach was successful in other NAIA research efforts (Moore & Abbe, 2021).


Sampling
The exploratory study utilized a stratified random sampling procedure to identify college athlete participants. Researchers divided the NAIA college athlete population into subgroups, or strata, based on sports available throughout the NAIA. This included a stratum for each of the 17 sports with separate stratum for each gender that participates in a sport. Next, researchers identified NAIA member institutions that participated in each of the 17 sports. Each institution participating in a sport received a random number. Researchers selected random numbers to identify the member institutions that would participate in the survey from each sport. This approach ensured all member institutions participating in various sports had an equal opportunity for inclusion.


Participants
Voluntary college athletes aged 18-years-old or older and attending an NAIA member institution participated in the study (n = 361). Most participants were 18-21 years old (53.5%, 46.5% indicated being over the age of 21). Survey participants were primarily juniors (30.7%, 23.8% sophomores, 23.1% first years, 22.1% seniors of graduate students). More women completed the survey (59.8%, 40.2% men). Most participants who reported race/ethnicity were White/Caucasian (55.4%, 21.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Black or African American, 6.6% multiracial, 1.2% from other groups).

Table 1.

NAIA Institutional Demographic Information

University Demographic%
Private20.2%
Public79.8%
Suburban33.3%
Urban33.9%
Rural32.8%
Faith Based62.9%
Non-Faith Based37.1%


Participants recorded which NAIA athletic team they were primarily affiliated with (20.2% baseball, 19.9% soccer, 12.5% track volleyball, 8.0% softball, 6.4% cross country, 6.1% basketball, with all other sports being under 5% each [e.g., football, bowling, cheer, dance, track and field, swimming and diving, golf, tennis, and lacrosse]). Participants were further examined regarding NAIA college/university demographics (See Table 1). Participants also responded to whether or not they receiving mental health training from their college of university before participating in sport. The largest majority (n = 229, 63.7%) indicated they did not receive such training. The other 36.3% (n= 132) indicated they did receive some form of training.
[Insert Table One]

Measures and Instruments

College athletes completed a web-based instrument that consisted of the following: (1) demographic questionnaire (see above demographics), (2) Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9; Kroenke et al., 1999), (3) Berlin Social Support Scale (BSSS; Shulz & Schwarzer, 2003), and (4) the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS; Posner et al., 2011).

Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
The PHQ-9 is a self-administered version of the PRIME-MD diagnostic instrument for common mental disorders (Kroenke et al., 2001). It is used to make criteria-based diagnoses of depressive and other mental disorders commonly encountered in primary care. This is a 9-item depression module upon which the diagnosis of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) depressive disorders is based. Reliability and validity of the tool have indicated it has sound psychometric properties. Internal consistency of the PHQ-9 has been shown to be high (American Psychological Association, 2020). There is precedent for using the PHQ-9 in research with college athletes (DaCosta et al., 2020; LoGalbo et al., 2022).

Berlin Social Support Scale (BSSS)
The researchers measured the degree of emotional and tangible support using the BSSS (Schulz & Schwarzer, 2003). This scale measured perceived emotional and instrumental supports, need for support, and support seeking. There are 17 items on the BSSS that are answered using a five-point Likert scale with endpoints “1 = Strongly Disagree” and “4 = Strongly Agree.” The researchers used a mean score for each of the subscales (perceived emotional support, perceived instrumental support, need for support, and support seeking). The scale has a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.83 for perceived social support, 0.63 for need for support, and 0.83 for support seeking (DiMillo et al., 2017). The scale has a prior history of use within college athletics (Sullivan et al., 2020)


Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
The C-SSRS was developed by researchers from Columbia, Pennsylvania, and Pittsburgh Universities to evaluate suicidal ideation and behavior (Posner et al., 2011). The scale provides a brief assessment of severity and intensity of suicidal ideation, suicidal behavior, and lethality (Syndergaard et al., 2023). The screener version used in this study consisted of six “yes” or “no” questions. Based on participant responses to the six questions, participants were considered low, moderate, or high risk. The C-SSRS has excellent internal consistency (α = 0.95). Principal components analysis revealed a two-factor solution, accounting for 65.3% of the variance across items (Madan et al., 2016). There is limited research on the use of the C-SSRS with the athlete population (Costanza et al., 2021).


Data Collection
Researchers contacted the athletic training staff at all sampled NAIA member institutions. Athletic training staff received the list of teams from their institution for inclusion in data collection. Researchers provided athletic training staff detailed instructions for data collection and a copy of the informed consent. Athletic training staff distributed the electronic survey to their college athletes. College athletes were able to opt-out of the survey at any time. The survey took approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. Researchers recorded survey results into a statistical software program (SPSS 28) on a secure, private platform.

Data Analysis
Researchers utilized descriptive statistics to provide details about the sample and overall survey results. Researchers used inferential statistics to infer information from the sample data to the overall NAIA student-athlete population.

To investigate the first research objective, an initial correlation analysis was conducted to examine whether having any safe sport training was related to increases in coaching outcomes. The safe sport training variable was transformed so that coaches who answered “yes” to completing any of the safe sport training courses were coded as 1 and coaches who had answered “no” to completing all the safe sport training courses were coded as 0 (i.e., no SS training=0, any SS training=1). This variable was included in a correlation analysis with all coaching outcomes: knowledge & confidence, safe sport stress, stress over athlete well-being, and efficacy to support others. To investigate the second research objective, four separate linear regression models were constructed with the sum of completed safe sport training courses (range =1-12) as the independent variable, and the following coaching outcomes as respective dependent variables: knowledge & confidence, safe sport stress, stress about athlete well-being, and efficacy to support others. In all four models, the coaching context, whether training was required (0=no, 1=yes), and whether training was free (0=no, 1=yes) were included as covariates. To address the third research objective, ANOVAs were conducted with individual safe sport courses as independent variables, and the following coaching outcomes as dependent variables: knowledge & confidence, efficacy to support others, safe sport stress, stress about athlete well-being and efficacy to support others. All analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 28) (20).

Results

Results
Descriptive Statistics
College athletes answered each item from the C-SSRS. Descriptive findings from this scale indicated that 18.3% of participants wished to be dead, 18,3% had non-specific active suicidal thoughts, 13.6% had active suicidal ideation without intent to act, 6.1% had active suicidal ideation with some intent to act, and 5.0% had active suicidal ideation with a specific plan and intent to act. Of the 361 college athlete respondents, 25.8% answers “yes” to at least one of the questions on the scale.

College athletes completed the PHQ-9 as a brief screening tool for potential depressive symptoms. Results of the PHQ-9 and the percent of athletes at risk of depression for each item can be found in Table 2.

Table 2. PHQ-9 Scores for NAIA College Athletes

QuestionMean (SD) (% At Risk)
Little interest or pleasure in doing things?1.81 (0.91) (22.1%)
Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless?1.68 (0.81) (14.1%)
Trouble falling asleep or sleeping too much?2.06 (1.05) (30.2%)
Feeling tired or having little energy?2.17 (0.92) (29.1%)
Poor appetite or overeating?1.81 (0.96) (21.3%)
Feeling bad about yourself?1.75 (0.93) (18.6%)
Trouble concentrating on things?1.69 (0.96) (17.2%)
Moving or speaking so slowly that people could have notice? Or more fidgety and restless than usual?1.34 (0.69) (7.8%)
Thoughts that you would be better off dead?1.21 (0.53) (4.1%)

Evaluation of Assumptions

College athletes also completed the BSSS. Results of the BSSS and the percent of athletes at risk of limited social support in various areas can be found in Table 3. These are only the scale items where there were significant concerns about perceived emotional support, perceived instrumental support, need for support, and support seeking.

BSSS Scores for NAIA College Athletes

QuestionMean (SD) (% At Risk)
Whenever I am not feeling well, other people show me that they are fond of me? 3.14 (0.82) (17.2%)
When everything becomes too much for me to handle, others are there to help me?3.21 (0.83) (18.3%)
I get along best without any outside help?2.48 (0.81) (48.7%)
In critical situations, I prefer to ask others for their advice?3.00 (0.79) (23.0%)
Whenever I am down, I look for someone to cheer me up again?2.51 (0.89) (49.6%)
When I am worried, I reach out to someone to talk to?2.69 (0.93) (38.2%)
Whenever I need help, I ask for it.2.70 (0.96) (39%)


Researchers used correlation analysis to assess the relationship between a college student-athletes predictor of suicide with their score on the PHQ-9, perceived emotional support, perceived instrumental support, level of needed support, level of support sought, and mental health training.

Prior to conducting the analysis, researchers generated several statistics and graphs to examine the tests of assumption, including level of measurement, related pairs, absence of outliers, and linearity.


Results of the Correlational Analysis
Researchers computed a Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient to assess the relationship between a college student-athletes suicide predictor and their PHQ-9 score, perceived emotional support, perceived instrumental support, level of needed support, and level of support sought. There was a significant (p < 0.001) moderate negative correlation, r = -.462, N = 361 between the suicide predictor and score on the PHQ-9. There was a significant (p < 0.001) weak positive correlation, r = .236, N = 361 between the suicide predictor and perceived emotional support. A similar significant (p < 0.001) weak positive correlation, r = .255, N = 361 between suicide predictor and perceived instrumental support. A college student-athlete’s exposure to mental health training, perceived level of needed support, and level of support sought did not appear to be suicide predictors.

Discussion

In this study, we investigated whether preventing suicide deaths requires the identification of factors that are associated with people’s risk of suicidal behavior. Commonly cited risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors are depression and inadequate support. Association between major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicide attempts or ideation has been well-documented. Accordingly, depression has been considered a necessary or sufficient cause of suicidal thoughts. But much is unknown about the characteristics that increase suicide risk among people living with depression (Bradvik, 2018). Many mechanisms could play a role in suicidal behavior among people with MDD, and, although suicidal behavior occurs among people with major depressive disorder, depression is not necessarily a useful tool for understanding the complexity of suicide (Orsolini et al., 2020).


Most people with depression do not attempt suicide. Diagnosis of MDD requires a simultaneous presentation of several specific symptoms. Approximately, 17 million American adults will have symptoms of MDD each year, but only around 45,000-50,000 Americans will die by suicide during that same time. Considered independently of other risk factors, MDD may put one at greater risk, meaning that those with this disorder are more likely than those without it to die by suicide. But still very few of those with MDD will go on to die by suicide; reliance on depression to predict suicidality is inadvisable. This is supported by Ribeiro et al. (2018), who reviewed existing literature on the subject and showed that although depressive symptoms were reported to confer risk of suicidality, the effects were weaker than expected.

Melhem et al. (2019) demonstrated that the most severe depressive symptoms and variability over time were the only predictors of suicide attempt in young adults, especially when combined with other factors (e.g., childhood abuse, history of attempt, substance use disorder, and parental attempt). But prediction was marginally better than chance, perhaps because suicidal risk varies during a psychiatric illness and may be linked to other factors that appear during depressive episodes. Orsolini et al. (2020) showed that anxiety disorders co-occurring with MDD are among the main predictors of attempts. Several factors interact and contribute to suicidal behavior and death by suicide. These may include major depressive disorder, but interactions with other factors, such as genetic vulnerability, stress, psychiatric comorbidities, and social aspects need to be evaluated to improve prevention (Orsolini et al., 2020).
Results from our research showed a moderate negative correlation between the suicide predictor and score on the PHQ-9, challenging the assumption that depression is a necessary or sufficient cause of suicidal thoughts. This lends support to the idea that traditional risk factors can be problematic and that their predictive value has not improved over the past 50 years (Franklin et al., 2017; Fortune & Hetrick, 2022).

Bradvik (2018) also acknowledged that depression is related to suicidal ideation and attempt but is not a good predictor. Bradvik (2018) pointed to results from the Australian Rural Mental Health Study in which only 364 out of 1051 respondents reported life-time depression. Of those 364 respondents, 48% reported life-time suicidal ideation and 16% reported a suicide attempt. Gender, age of depression onset, and possibly psychiatric comorbidities were somewhat predictive of suicide behavior, but no other predictive factors were revealed. These results were echoed by Melhem et al. (2019).

The limits of risk factors to accurately predict suicide is further strengthened by our finding that an increase in emotional social support was weakly associated with an increase in suicide risk, contradicting earlier research that showed suicidal distress was worse when emotional social support was low (Ayub, 2015; Otsuki et al., 2019). Similarly, instrumental social support (i.e., support that helps people with practical tasks) was weakly associated with suicide risk, contradicting findings from Otsuki et al. (2019).
After a concussion, athletes experience a range of psychological symptoms, with depression and anxiety being among the most reported (Kontos et al., 2012). Symptoms can include loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable, persistent sadness, physical and mental fatigue, and changes in sleep patterns. These negative outcomes may be more pronounced in athletes who attach a great degree of importance to the athlete’s role in relation to other activities (Brewer et al., 1993; Raedeke & Smith, 2001) and can be made worse by changes in lifestyle, the loss of social support that team members provided, and even personality traits. One such trait is maladaptive perfectionism.
Maladaptive perfectionists are overly critical of mistakes. They strive for excessively high and ultimately unobtainable goals. This usually results in failure, which can be painful, especially for athletes with maladaptive perfectionism, who may lack resilience to bounce back from stressful experiences. This unhealthy perfectionism is associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms (Egan et al., 2011; Olmedilla et al., 2022). Additionally, perfectionists can struggle with time management, not setting realistic timelines for getting things done or because they are paralyzed by the prospect of failure. Time management is one of the most difficult aspects of participating in college sports (Rothschild-Checroune et al., 2013).

Taken together, injury and concussion, personality traits (e.g., maladaptive perfectionism), and external factors (e.g., time constraints) can contribute to negative mental health outcomes among student-athletes and may increase suicidal distress. College athletic programs and university counseling centers are poised to improve our understanding of the nature of suicidal distress among student-athletes face and how to respond by making use of qualitative research methods, which we recommend. We urge university administrators to dedicate more resources to building and integrating academic and co-curricular resilience programs into their campuses and rely less on risk assessment that focuses on commonly cited factors (e.g., depression) to predict suicide.

Study Limitations
While efforts were made to decrease discomfort with the survey, it is possible college athletes felt pressure to respond in particular ways out of personal and/or athletic concerns. This study also relied upon self-reported data. Without having the ability to verify participant responses, there was no way of knowing the legitimacy or honesty of participants’ responses. The study was unable to control the multiple covariates or confounding variables that influence a college suicidality and mental health. Finally, our study lacked a detailed exploration of how specific socio-demographic characteristics, such as race, gender, and class status, might influence suicidal ideation and other risk behaviors among college athletes.

Future Research
The complex interplay between core risk factors in individuals and heightened suicide risk among athletes necessitates further exploration. Future research should focus on understanding the repercussions of escalated demands on athletes’ mental well-being, particularly the impact of significant situational factors such as career-ending injuries on their mental health and suicide vulnerability. Additionally, there is a need to delve into the connection between suicide rates, race, and gender among collegiate students for a more comprehensive understanding of these dynamics.

Conclusion
This study examined the relationship between college athletes’ risk of depression, suicidality, and their support system and whether preventing suicide deaths requires identification of commonly cited risk factor. The results are quite different from previous research findings, revealing a moderate negative correlation between the suicide predictor and scores on the PHQ-9, adding nuance to the presumption that depression is either a necessary or sufficient factor for the emergence of suicidal thoughts. College athletic programs and university counseling centers are poised to enhance our understanding of student-athletes’ suicidal distress and how to respond by making use of qualitative research methods. We strongly recommend adopting this strategy to address depression and suicidal ideation.

Applications in Sport
Studying suicide in college sports has practical applications that can help improve the well-being and safety of college athletes. By examining the factors that contribute to suicidal ideation and behavior in college sports, researchers and practitioners can develop targeted interventions and support systems to address mental health challenges. For instance, such studies may lead to the creation of tailored mental health resources for student-athletes, including counseling services and peer support networks. Furthermore, understanding the unique stressors faced by student-athletes, such as performance pressure and balancing academics with athletics, can inform the design of preventative measures such as stress management and resilience training programs. Additionally, awareness campaigns can be created to destigmatize mental health struggles in sports, encouraging athletes to seek help when needed. Overall, studying suicide in college sports can lead to a safer and more supportive environment for student-athletes, promoting their overall health and success.

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2024-07-03T13:38:41-05:00July 5th, 2024|General, Research, Sport Education, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off on Navigating Darkness: College Athlete Suicide, Support Systems, and Shadows of Depression
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