Date of Award
Summer 8-26-2023
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
PhD Counseling Psychology
Department
Professional Psychology and Family Therapy
Advisor
Minsun Lee, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Pamela Foley, Ph.D., ABPP
Committee Member
Edmund Adjapong, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Sandra R. Ackerman Sinclair, Ph.D.
Keywords
Black masculinity, student-athlete, intersectionality, socialization, double consciousness, help-seeking
Abstract
A marginalized racial identity, a male gender identity, and an athletic identity have all been significantly linked to mental health seeking and attitudes. African American male collegiate student-athletes continue to use mental health resources at insufficient rates when compared to their White counterparts, even though they experience mental health impairment at comparative rates. The purpose of this study was to critically examine factors that contribute to the underutilization of mental health resources by African American collegiate NCAA DI student-athletes. At the intersection of race, gender, and athletic identity this study dives into the lived experiences of African American collegiate NCAA DI student-athletes at the systemic and individual level. A semi-structured interview was used to examine how the social construction of gender and race influenced the African American DI collegiate student-athletes’ formation of their athletic identity and their consequent understanding of mental health and related resources. A reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify subsequent codes and themes from the interview data. Reoccurring themes across the data suggest that an indivisible relationship between race and gender, an internalized need to dominate, and the internalization of mental health as an individual problem may contribute to the help-seeking attitudes of this sample. Findings support the need for further research examining how athletic identity is formed and how it contributes to the help-seeking attitudes and behaviors of African American collegiate student-athletes.
Recommended Citation
Davis, Pattric, "More than an Athlete: The Impact of Athletic Identity on African American Male NCAA DI Collegiate Student-Athlete Help-Seeking Attitudes" (2023). Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs). 3119.
https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/3119
