Social Determinant Of Health In The Combat Sports Community

Mental health is a crucial topic within the combat sports community. Specifically, looking at combat athletes in the college setting, one can see the impacts of this public health issue on sports like boxing, wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, and more. A social determinant of health that strongly impacts the combat sports community at the college level, specifically UMD, is social and community context. When it comes to social and community context, I believe what impacts mental health the most is a lack of encouragement or recommendations regarding counseling, both psychologically and nutritionally, as well as the feelings women experience during combat sports based on their own perceptions. Our group focused on combat sports athletes at UMD, mainly those

The lack of encouragement to receive counseling is a big social determinant of health within combat sports. The NCAA reported that in a survey, “about 30 percent of the 195,000 respondents to a recent American College Health Association (ACHA) survey reported having felt depressed in the last 12 months, and 50 percent reported having felt overwhelming anxiety during the same period” (Davoren, Hwang, 2023). This statistic demonstrates the number of psychological issues college students face, many of which could be athletes who also have to deal with the pressures of their sport. The number of athletes receiving counseling is unknown, but from being a part of the combat sports community both at UMD and outside of college, I have noticed a stigma on whether or not to receive counseling. Many athletes who compete in sports that require discipline and toughness believe that seeking counseling is a sign of weakness or under-preparedness. Various outside societal norms reinforce this, such as past ideas that seeking therapy is a sign of fragility, an image fighters do not like to portray. Having fought in boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I know there is a great deal of stress and high intensity one feels before stepping into a ring and putting

While there aren't many specific studies on this subject, several women were willing to give testimonials. While competing and participating in combat sports as a woman generally improves mental health, there are a few aspects that cause issues with a female athlete’s mental health. From my own experience and from talking with other women, there is a feeling of the need to prove oneself within the sport to meet the high expectations within the male-dominated sport. As time has passed, more women have joined the sports, including wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and boxing. However, there is still uncertainty regarding gender roles in combat sports. When I went to my first jiu-jitsu practice at UMD, I felt the need to put in another level of effort to make sure the other athletes, especially the male athletes, knew I had the skills necessary for the sport. From this, I felt validation that the men within the club saw that I knew a lot about the sport, which causes an unhealthy mindset. One woman, India Davis, in the jiu-jitsu club at UMD commented, “sometimes it’s tough when we compete, [because she] feels the need to prove [herself] due to being a woman among a lot of men who tend to look at us differently, so when [she] loses, that can be disheartening and tough to overcome mentally” (Davis, 2023). Another, Alexis Bamford, said that when she feels she does not do well at practice, she is “always really