According to the National Institute for Mental Health, it’s estimated that about 32 percent of all adolescents in the USA have some form of anxiety and about 8 percent have what would be classified as severe anxiety. It shouldn’t be surprising then that the estimates for anxiety disorders in young athletes is also high.
While there are only a limited number of high-quality studies about anxiety specific to the athletic population, it’s still estimated that more than 30 percent of collegiate student-athletes have experienced overwhelming anxiety.
Anxiety disorders have a profoundly negative impact on quality of life as well as overall health. We also have evidence that student-athletes with preseason anxiety and depression are statistically higher risk for developing in-season sport-related injuries.