The dual pandemic of 2020 – COVID-19 and systemic racism – continues to reshape society. The current study examines how this dual pandemic contributes to the psychological distress of college student-athletes, with attention to college student-athletes who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of colour (BIPOC). A total of 222 student-athletes from nine universities completed the online survey. Student-athletes reported COVID-19 had a moderate impact on daily life. The direct effect of COVID-19 on psychological distress was found to be positive and significant but did not differ for BIPOC and White participants. Additionally, nearly all BIPOC student-athletes reported experiencing systemic racism; yet the level of systemic racism did not predict psychological distress. Findings provide insight related to the importance of mental health among college student-athletes.

High school sport presents opportunities for adolescents to build a solid foundation for positive mental health. Given recent calls to consider gender as a key variable when studying mental health, the purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of gender on the relationship between the satisfaction/frustration of the three basic psychological needs and mental health in high school student-athletes. A sample of 925 Canadian adolescents completed an online survey, reporting on sociodemographic variables and two scales: the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale and the Mental Health Continuum – Short Form. Analyses included a moderation analysis in which the satisfaction or frustration of each basic psychological need was the independent variable, gender was the moderator variable, and mental health was the dependent variable. The direct relationships between the satisfaction of each basic psychological need and participants’ positive mental health were positive and significant. Moreover, the frustration of the three basic psychological needs were significantly associated with lower levels of positive mental health. Gender was found to moderate two out of the six tested relationships (i.e., autonomy frustration and relatedness frustration), with the relationship between the dependent and independent variable being stronger for girls than boys. Results indicate the importance of creating sporting environments that satisfy student-athletes’ basic psychological needs. Gender differences suggest that removing from sport participation elements that frustrate basic psychological needs is especially meaningful for girls. Research is also needed to expand conceptualisations of gender beyond a binary construct.

To meet the diverse needs of youth athletes within contemporary society, the privilege and responsibility of youth sport coaching must be reimagined. Critical positive youth development (CPYD)—which is grounded in Freire’s critical consciousness—emphasizes the urgency to empower youth to promote social justice and increase their ability to contribute to societal change. Considering the scarcity of CPYD in coach education, sport social workers may offer unique educational experiences and critical learning opportunities that may help fulfill a CPYD mandate within the youth sport landscape. From a social constructivist perspective, the aim of the current study was to explore the duality of sport social workers coaching competitive youth sport. Findings from 10 sport social workers suggest that the values, knowledge, and skills of the social work profession—particularly sport social work—seem to offer a transferable skillset and lessons to be emulated by CPYD coach education. For instance, because of their unique education and training, social workers are taught to use a strengths-based approach, maintain a holistic perspective, and teach life skills that contribute to PYD. However, findings also emphasize the notion that education may not solve all challenges concerning the need to foster CPYD, as many other variables make up the sport system.

Coach education has been positioned as an important catalyst in enabling coaches to maximise the positive influence of high school sport on student-athlete development. The purpose of the study was to conduct a subsequent season follow-up evaluation, examining longer-term changes in coach-athlete relationship, coach interpersonal behaviours, and life skills teaching in coaches who completed the Coaching for Life Skills (CLS) online training program. A 2 × 2 prospective causal comparative design was used. Coaches ( n = 285) were asked to complete follow-up measures during the high school sport season that followed their completion of the trial. The response rate was 36.84%, with the final sample consisting of 64 participants. Data were analysed using independent sample t -tests. From baseline to subsequent season follow-up, scores for coach-athlete relationship and coach interpersonal behaviours significantly increased for the CLS group and significantly decreased for the comparison group. No significant differences in scores were found on life skills teaching from baseline to subsequent season follow-up. The results suggest that the intervention may have helped CLS group coaches remain consistent in their use of relational coaching behaviours.