ScholarWorks@중앙대학교

초록

Research on collegiate athlete mental health is overwhelmingly Western-centric, leaving a critical gap in understanding how cultural context shapes athletes' experiences. This study addresses this gap through a cross-national comparison of the United States and South Korea. This convergent mixed-methods study integrated survey data from 400 athletes and in-depth interviews with 33 athletes, guided by the Social Ecological Model for Health Promotion. Quantitative results revealed that U.S. athletes reported significantly higher psychological distress (F [1, 395] = 4.99, p < .01), while social and institutional support were key predictors of mental health outcomes in both contexts (beta s = -.18 to .27, ps < .001), with notable gendered variations. Integrating these findings with our qualitative analysis exposes two key phenomena: a ""paradox of expression,"" where higher reported distress in the U.S. likely reflects a cultural permission to disclose, and a ""willingness-action gap,"" where multi-level barriers prevent help-seeking. We argue these phenomena are shaped by distinct cultural ideologies: an individualistic culture of intense self-reliance and performance pressure in the U.S. and a collectivist culture of social harmony in South Korea. Ultimately, this study challenges a simplistic ""better versus worse"" narrative, concluding that both systems create distinct but different cultural and structural barriers to athlete mental health, demanding systemic and culturally-tailored interventions in both contexts.

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