Does Social Support Diminish Depression in Students? Evidence from Athletes and Greek Life

Depression and stress are extremely prevalent in college students. The goal of the current study was to examine if social support from athletic teams and fraternities or sororities are related to lower levels of depression and stress compared to students not involved in such groups. Participants (N=134) were asked to fill out a questionnaire with scales of depression, stress and social support. It was hypothesized that members of Greek life and student-athletes will show higher levels of social support and lower levels of depression compared to a control group of students. The results supported these hypotheses and suggest that joining social groups might be a resource for battling mental health issues in college. DISTRESS AND SUPPORT IN COLLEGE POPULATIONS 3 Differences in Distress and Support in College Populations Stress and depression are two highly correlated states that are prevalent in college students (Mahmoud et al., 2012). As of 2013, the National College Health Assessment reported that 1/3 of all college students report depression some point in their past year, and identified stress as the primary cause for impaired academic performance (Novotney, 2014). It is vital that researchers examine all possible ways to decrease stress and depression in college students. The current study looks at the influence of social support on psychological distress and well-being among three student groups on a college campus: athletes, members of Greek organizations, and the general student population. College students have an extraordinary amount of stress to deal with on a daily basis. Students reported that major academic stressors were tests, grade competition, time demands, professors’ expectations, class environment, and future success, and the most intense personal stressors were intimate relationships, parental conflicts, finances, and interpersonal conflicts with friends (Archer & Lamnin, 1985). College students who have been treated for depression also report experiencing stress from a variety of sources, including roommate issues, academic problems, financial and career concerns, and family pressure (Aselton, 2012). Depression plays a big role in the overall health of college students. Depression was predicted by both general life stress and college-related stress (Lester, 2014). Because collegerelated stress was a greater predictor of prior suicide attempts than general life stress, itis possible that the college experience may be more psychologically disturbing and stressful than life outside of college. In a study of interrelationships of stress, depression, anxiety, and physical illness in college students, correlations were found in the stress-illness and depression-illness relationships (Rawson, Bloomer, & Kendall, 1994). Physical illness was defined from a Health DISTRESS AND SUPPORT IN COLLEGE POPULATIONS 4 Questionnaire, which lists the most common campus-illnesses. It demonstrated that depression and stress can weaken the immune system and cause health problems. In a 30-day diary study, students with a history of depression showed greater stress-reactivity even when in remission (O’Hara, Armeli, Boynton, & Tennen, 2014). On days characterized by higher than usual stress, these participants were at a higher risk for a depressive episode. College students are clearly at greater risk for stress and depression because of their intense schedules, developing personalities, and many other academic issues. Looking at different groups of the college population, it is likely that being a member of a team sport, a fraternity, or sorority may either increase or decrease stress and depression levels depending on the individual students’ experience. College student-athletes face a variety of stressors ranging from physical training to academics. Eight factors appeared most likely to contribute to the stress of student-athletes: sports injury, performance demand, coach relationships, training adaptation, interpersonal relationships, romantic relationships, family relationships, and academic requirements (Lu, Hsu, Chan, Cheen, & Kao, 2012). All of these factors are likely to enhance stress from the college experience. Organized sports may provide help against stress and depression. Not only are the physical aspects of a sport a way to relieve stress, but team sports provide a built-in social support network that can also help decrease levels of anxiety, depression, and stress (Tamminen, & Gaudreau, 2014). Students participating in an individual sport or students who do not belong to such groups will not reap the benefits of this peer social support system (Morgan & Pollack, 1997; Raglin, 2001; Storch, Killiany, Roberti, 2005). Athletes in intercollegiate team sports have been found to have different levels of depression compared to nonathletes (Proctor & BonLenzo, 2010; Storch et al., 2005). Gender was also found to influence depression in these studies. DISTRESS AND SUPPORT IN COLLEGE POPULATIONS 5 Female athletes reported the highest levels of depressive symptoms, social anxiety, and lack of support. Male athletes, male nonathletes, and female nonathletes reported the lowest levels. It appears that levels of depression can possibly vary from school to school depending on how vigorous the respective sport is on the athletes (Storch et al., 2005). A final variable found to interact with athletic status and depression in college is sports injury (Roiger, Weidauer, & Kern, 2015). In addition to the literature about student-athletes, research also shows that fraternities and sororities provide social support for students, and this may help students avoid stress and depression. Just like being part of an athletic team, joining a fraternity or sorority can help students build new friendships, connections, and facilitate feelings of acceptance by the members. Also, the social support in these groups can help reduce depression and stress in individual members (Taylor, 2010). In a study of the overall mental health aspects of college students, fraternity and sorority members had a significantly lower level of depression than nonmembers (Mahmoud et al., 2012). Results from one study suggest that the advantages of belonging to a fraternity or sorority may be balanced by some drawbacks (Ridgeway, Tang, & Lester, 2014). For example, Greek life can be associated with risky behaviors and health problems, potentially leading to increased stress. Greek members engage in more alcohol use, cigarette smoking, sexual partners, and sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol than the average college student (Scott-Sheldon & Carey, 2008). Prior to membership in Greek Life, pledges may experience high levels of stress and depression (Kase, Rivera & Hunt, 2016). Those who are pledging a fraternity could be under a significant amount of stress in anticipation that their personal characteristics are under review by DISTRESS AND SUPPORT IN COLLEGE POPULATIONS 6 active fraternity members. Students who were rushing a fraternity or sorority showed increases in depressed mood immediately following a negative outcome (Abela & Seligman, 2000). Many studies have shown that these groups are involved in more risky behaviors than non-members, but few studies have attempted to look at the benefits of joining these organizations. Most of the relevant literature supports the idea that belonging to an athletic team and being a member of Greek Life can create a positive atmosphere because of social support and friendships. However, no studies have compared these two groups in the same study to see if one group creates better mental health than the other. The current study will address these issues by obtaining a sample of Greek members, student-athletes, and students involved in neither of these groups, and compare their levels of stress, depression, and social support. If the study can show that one group might provide better mental health benefits than the others, real world application could involve advertising potential benefits of joining a fraternity or sorority, or to becoming involved in a team sport. Also, results will indicate whether any of the groups is at a greater risk for stress or depression. It is predicted all three groups of students will have similar levels of stress. It is also predicted that students not involved in team sports or Greek life will have higher levels of depression because of the comparative lack of social support. Consequently, it is predicted that student-athletes and members of Greek life will perceive more social support than the average college student.