Bipolar or bivariate? Assessing the relationship between psychological distress and wellbeing in the Canadian varsity athlete context

Joshua Celebre, Philip Sullivan

The estimated economic burden of mental illness in Canada is over $50 billion (CMHA, 2023). It has been believed that the relationship between mental illness and wellbeing is bipolar, meaning someone cannot be both mentally ill and flourishing (Trent, 1992). However, Keyes (2002) proposed the Dual Continuum Model of Mental Health (DCM), suggesting that the relationship between mental illness and wellbeing is bivariate. Research in athletic population has supported both bivariate (Van Slingerland et al., 2018; Kuettel et al., 2022), and bipolarity (Seligman, 2002; Zhao & Tay, 2023). The purpose of this research was to examine the Dual Continuum Model of Mental Health in Canadian intercollegiate sport. Specifically, we assessed the factor structure of psychological distress and wellbeing as independent but related constructs. Data from the American College Health Association’s 2022 National College Health Assessment Canadian Cohort were used for this study, which included 349 varsity athletes. Psychological distress was quantified with the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and wellbeing was measured with the Mental Health Continuum – Short Form. The dual-factor CFA displayed an excellent fit to the model (CFI = .986, NNFI = .979, RMSEA = .087). All factors significantly loaded, with a significant negative correlation (-.67) between factors. This suggests that the data fits the model of two separate, negatively related factors. The present findings support Keyes’ proposition that the relationship between psychological distress and wellbeing is bivariate, within the Canadian university student athlete context. Specifically, university sport practitioners may look to promote wellbeing rather than treating mental illness.