Future College Athlete and The Rise Of Perfectionism: Future Trend 6—Risk Of Suicide
By Michael Cerreto
Perfectionism is on the rise. If the trend continues for the next ten years, it may profoundly impact the personalities and mental health of athletes who enter college in the 2030s. The following is the sixth of a seven-part series about how the rise of perfectionism can impact future college athletes. Let’s look at Future Trend 6.
“The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die.”
Future Trend 6: Perfectionism Will Increase Risk of Suicide
Athletes who strive for perfection may be at a greater risk of experiencing mental health issues, including suicidal thoughts. Pia and colleagues (2020) found that being a perfectionist can lead to suicidal thoughts and behaviors; feeling scared and embarrassed is a big part of it.
In general, over the last two decades, the number of suicides among NCAA athletes has increased significantly. Suicide rates have doubled from 7.6% to 15.3% over 20 years (Whelan et al., 2024). This increase indicates that suicide is now the second leading cause of death after accidents among student-athletes behind accidents (Whelan et al., 2024).
Being a perfectionist could be linked to more student-athlete suicides. (Simmons & Ross-Nash, 2022). If things continue like this, future college athletes in the 2030s will face intense pressure to meet impossible standards, which could lead to mental health issues like suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Male athletes are more likely to experience suicide than female athletes in college. Male athletes make up 77% of suicide cases among college athletes (Whelan et al., 2024). This stat shows that male athletes are going through a tough time with their mental health, and it might even get worse in the next decade as the trend of perfectionism continues to impact suicide rates.
References
Pia, T., Galynker, I., Schuck, A., Sinclair, C., Ying, G., & Calati, R. (2020). Perfectionism and prospective near-term suicidal thought and behaviors: The mediation of fear and humiliation and suicide crisis syndrome. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(4), 1424. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041424
Whelan, B. M., Kliethermes, S. A., Schloredt, K. A., Rao, A., Harmon, K. G., & Petek, B. J. (2024). Suicide in National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes: a 20-year analysis. British journal of sports medicine, 58(10), 531-537.
Simmons, A., & Ross-Nash, Z. (2022, May). Athletes, perfectionism, and suicide. [Web article]. Retrieved from http://www.societyforpsychotherapy.org/athletes-perfectionism-and-suicide
