MA Research Paper

Degree

Master of Arts

Program

Sociology

Supervisor

Dr. Janice Forsyth

Delay of Publication

1

Abstract

In any major Canadian city, one can find hockey arenas, outdoor rinks, or a Tim Horton coffee shop on every corner. Between September and April, many Canadians will adorn their favourite players jersey or their favourite teams toque, exuding team pride, further strengthening the idea that Canadian culture is entangled within the world of hockey.

Due to hockey’s role within Canadian identity, this study conducted a scoping literature review in order to conceptualize what we know of mental health within hockey literature. There were three overarching research questions that guided this study: 1) How is mental health defined, measured, or used within hockey literature?, (2) What does the literature tell us about Canadian cultural attitudes towards addressing mental health issues in hockey?, and (3) How is mental health discussed within scholarly literature pertaining to hockey? To answer these questions, 21 journal articles, that the fit specific criteria were extracted from SCOPUS and SPORTDiscus. Not one article was the same, resulting in a very heterogeneous body of articles to analyze. As a result three themes were distinguished: (1) a gendered demographic, (2) the loss of the hockey identity, and (3) mental health as a main focus within the research design. All three themes highlight a greater understanding of what we know about mental health within hockey, as well as determine the potential expansion opportunities within academic research.

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