The Impact of Martial Arts on Mental Health

Sports Psychiatry has been developing for the last three decades and is growing to be an integral part of Sports Medicine and Psychiatry. With the rising growth of mental health awareness in popular culture, and public announcements of professional athletes describing their struggles with mental health, the need for Sports Psychiatrists is becoming more apparent. However, limited data on mental health disorders amongst athletes poses issues in terms of providing standardized and reliable interventions for treatment. This is especially the case in less researched sports, such as martial arts. The current study aims to investigate the relationship between mental health and martial artists, specifically evaluating the relationship between domains of mental health, including aggression, depression, anxiety, and self-esteem, and Jeet Kune Do/mixed martial arts practitioners. The study will take place at Garcia Gung Fu, a martial arts dojo in Harlem, New York in addition to recruits from a Reddit Martial Arts form. Participants will include both adults and children. The findings in this study will contribute to the body of literature in both sports medicine and psychiatry. Additionally, this study will further illustrate the importance of the field of sports psychiatry and well as highlight the need for improved interventions for athletes.