The purposes of this study were to determine the adjustment of freshman athletes to intercollegiate athletics and to determine the validity of the Perceptions of Adjustment to Sports Questionnaire (PASQ), which was created for this research. The results of a pilot study that included 62 freshman intercollegiate athletes indicated that Rule 48 status, time of season, residence, interscholastic athletic experience, team cohesion, and revenue do not influence the adjustment of freshman athletes to intercollegiate sports (p < .05). Twelve panelists also rated the construct validity of the PASQ in a three-round Delphi study. The final version of the PASQ resulted in a 69-item, 8 sub scale instrument that measures freshman adjustment to intercollegiate athletics; however, additional research needs to be conducted to confirm its validity. Possible uses of the PASQ are to provide a foundation for counseling freshman intercollegiate athletes and to recognize freshman athletes at risk for psychiatric and physical health problems. / School of Physical Education

The relationship between hardiness, stress and burnout has been established in occupational settings (Kelley, 1994; Talarico, 1989; Topf, 1989). This relationship has not been established with athletic populations, however. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between personality hardiness, perceived stress and burnout in a selected sample of collegiate athletes. Participants were 181 male (n=129) and female (n_=52) Division I athletes from three Midwestern universities representing four sports (baseball, softball, tennis and track). Each subject was asked to complete a survey - consisting of the Third Generation Hardiness Test, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory - during the regular season and at least 24 hours prior to an athletic contest. It was hypothesized that hardier athletes would report lower levels of perceived stress and burnout, and that higher levels of stress would be related to higher levels of burnout. Pearson product-moment correlations supported the hypothesized relationships. / School of Physical Education

This study has examined the aspect of psychological care for the injured athlete at the Division 1A collegiate level. The specific areas examined were those of the mental impact of injury, services available, potential barriers, funding, and referrals. An additional aspect of this study that was examined was differences between conferences in the psychological care practices of the injured athlete. It was found that the largest barrier to successful psychological rehabilitation of the injured athlete was athlete compliance, despite support from others and available services. No significant differences were found to exist between conferences and the psychological care of the injured athlete. / School of Physical Education