Examining personality assessment profiles of Division I (DI) student-athletes: Latent Profile Analysis on the MMPI-3

Student-athletes frequently experience mental health concerns, leading to recent National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recommendations for mental health pre-performance (PPE) screenings for incoming student-athletes. Widely used PPE screener tools lack comprehensiveness and validity scales that are needed to accurately assess student-athlete mental health. Despite recent advances on understanding student-athlete mental health using more comprehensive measures and person-centered approaches, no studies have examined the intersection of these advancements. Using latent profile analysis, this study identified and evaluated differences between sub-groups of student athlete’s experiences of mental health concerns using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3) as a PPE tool with incoming (first-year and transfer) student-athletes. Results identified three distinct profiles that differ in mental health concerns including "Low-Normal" (n = 154), "External-Cognitive" (n = 60), and "Internal-Avoidant" profiles (n = 28). Broadly, profiles differed notably in gender, treatment engagement, academic performance, and athlete risk outcomes (e.g., suicidality, compulsivity, eating concerns). Findings suggest student-athletes are heterogeneous in their experience of mental health concerns and related outcomes. Implications, limitations, and future directions regarding these differences are discussed for assessing student-athletes both broadly and for each identified profile type.