Off the Court: Helping African American Athletes Address Behavioral Health Concerns While Using Motivational Interviewing

Abstract

Alcohol and drug use among collegiate student athletes has been noted to be a significant issue of concern, prompting increased efforts to determine what works for addressing the specific needs of this group. A closer examination of African American collegiate athletes suggests that drug and alcohol use in this group may be a serious issue of concern, given the unique pressures faced by this group. Motivational interviewing has been reported to be an effective intervention for improving outcomes for at-risk college students. The current investigation explores the potential for using motivational interviewing as an intervention to address the specific needs of African American collegiate athletes.

Keywords::

• Motivational interviewing
• student-athlete
• African American
• substance abuse
• alcohol use