Association Between Mental Health and Bone Health Among Division III Student-Athletes

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between mental health and bone mineral density (BMD) among Division III student-athletes. Previous literature demonstrates that psychological stress may negatively impact BMD (Hahn, 2017). This is problematic as low BMD in earlier years can lead to osteoporosis and other complications later in adulthood (Jin, 2020). Among college-aged adults, it is estimated that 12% suffer from an anxiety disorder, 7-9% are affected by depression, 9.5% screen positive for an eating disorder, and 6.7% report suicidal ideation (Pedrelli, 2015). However, the relationship between bone health and mental health has been unexplored in collegiate student-athletes (Hahn, 2017). For this study, participants completed a demographic questionnaire, two self-reported mental health surveys, and a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS21) were used to assess participants’ mental health symptoms while the DXA was utilized to measure BMD. The anticipated outcomes of this study are to quantify mental health symptoms in Division III student-athletes and to better understand any relationship(s) between mental health and BMD in this population. Understanding these relationships may aid in the creation of intervention strategies and promote the use of mental health services specific to student-athletes.