The Hidden Cost of Anxiety: Why Mental Health is an Injury Prevention Strategy

𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄?

A groundbreaking study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine tracked 958 NCAA Division I student-athletes over multiple seasons, across 4 men’s and 5 women’s sports, from two major universities. The athletes were screened for anxiety symptoms before the season began, and the findings were clear:

Student-athletes who reported preseason anxiety symptoms had a 2.3x higher injury rate during the season, even after controlling for age, race, BMI, injury history, and school attended.

Let that sink in.

Mental health isn’t just a wellness issue, it’s a performance and availability issue. And ignoring it? That’s costing your program far more than you might think.

The Financial Fallout of Avoiding Mental Health Support

Injuries don’t just sideline athletes, they drain resources across your department.

Here’s how:

• Secondary insurance claims and deductibles rise with every injury
• Increased AT/PT staff workload, burnout, and turnover
• Lost roster productivity at critical points in the season
• NIL payments to noncompeting athletes still on the books
• Performance drops when you're down a starter in postseason play

Now consider this: even modest investments in mental health support- like those offered through Onrise- are shown to return 200–900% ROI in injury-related cost savings alone.

That doesn't include benefits like improved focus, retention, academic eligibility, or team culture.

Anxiety Predicts Injury. Prevention Starts with Support.

The data is no longer up for debate. Athletes with underlying mental health concerns are more likely to get injured, and often, take longer to recover.

Why?

• Anxiety increases muscle tension and decreases coordination
• Sleep quality drops, increasing vulnerability to strain and fatigue
• Focus and decision-making decline under mental distress
• And mentally exhausted athletes push harder when they shouldn’t, ignoring early warning signs

Supporting athletes’ mental health isn’t just about crisis prevention, it’s about performance preservation.

The Real Question: Can You Afford Not To?

We know budgets are tight. We know there’s pressure to pour funding into NIL, recruiting, and facilities.

But if you’re willing to spend $50K+ on performance tech, strength coaches, or GPS tracking, you can’t afford to neglect the one factor that touches every part of athlete availability and output: their mental health.

With Onrise, you don’t need to build a whole new program. We deliver athlete-specific therapy, psychiatry, peer support, and crisis care- all integrated into your department’s rhythm, and backed by outcome data that athletic directors can actually use.

Ready to Protect Your Roster?

The smartest investment in performance might be the one you can’t see on the scoreboard, but you’ll feel it in injury reports, roster depth, and team resilience.

- Mental health care
- Injury prevention
- ROI your finance team will thank you for

Let’s talk about how Onrise can support your department.

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