Utility of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms Screen in a Collegiate Athlete Population.

Context: Mental health screening as a part of collegiate athletic preparticipation evaluations is becoming increasingly common, but effective and efficient screening depends on a screening tool that can accurately identify mental health symptoms and the need for mental health intervention.

Design: Case-control study.

Setting: Archival clinical records review.

Patients Or Other Participants: Two cohorts of incoming National Collegiate Athletics Association Division I collegiate athletes (N = 353).

Main Outcome Measure(s): Athletes completed the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS) Screen as a part of their preparticipation evaluation. These data were then matched with basic demographic data and mental health treatment history from clinical records, and the utility of the CCAPS Screen in determining a future or ongoing need for mental health services was analyzed.

Results: Score differences for each of the 8 CCAPS Screen scales (Depression, Generalized Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Academic Distress, Eating Concerns, Frustration, Family Distress, and Alcohol Use) were found based on several demographic variables. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that female sex, team sport participation, and the Generalized Anxiety scale score predicted future participation in mental health treatment. Decision tree testing of the CCAPS scales showed low utility in classifying those who received mental health treatment versus those who did not.

Conclusions: The CCAPS Screen did not appear to differentiate well between those who eventually received mental health services and those who did not. This should not be taken to mean that mental health screening is not useful but rather that a 1-time, state-based screening is not sufficient for athletes who experience intermittent but recurring stressors in a dynamic environment. A proposed model for improving the current standard of practice for mental health screening is provided as a focus of future research.