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Previous research has shown that the incidence of depression is high among newly retired professional male athletes. However, no research has focused on retirement's effects on women athletes. I measured depression and optimism in female college softball players upon retirement using 20 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I softball teams. Forty-one participants were retired and 181 were currently playing. Retired participants were defined as exhausting their college softball eligibility no longer than 3 years prior to the study. Depression was measured by scores on Beck's Depression Inventory (1968) and optimism was measured by scores on The Attributional Style Questionnaire (1978). Statistical methods (t-tests, Chi Square, and Wilkes Lambda) proved successful at finding differences between retirement groups. Results demonstrated that depression was a negative consequence for women in their first year of retirement. Overall, depression scores were lowest in participants in their third year of retirement. Demographic data indicated that remaining involved in sport at some level, either playing, coaching, or teaching, was related to lower depression scores. Results did not show differences in optimism scores. Overall, the results confirmed that retirement is not gender specific, in that women too experience severe emotional consequences when they retire from competition. Further research needs to be devoted to constructing an intervention that can help prepare college and professional athletes for this inescapable exit from sport.

This study analyzed the efficacy of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist (PDC) as a tool used for developing interventions for performance improvement by comparing the intervention choice rankings of a group that used it to one that did not. This comparison was made by providing professional organizational consultants or university professors and undergraduate students enrolled in related courses with a written scenario concerning an organization in need of performance improvement. These consultants and students were randomly assigned into two groups: (a) one in which the scenario was accompanied by the PDC and (b) one in which the PDC was absent. The results indicated that there was indeed some difference in intervention selection between those who received the PDC and those who did not. However, only the professionals benefited from using the PDC.

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The purpose of this study was to develop and test the effectiveness of one model composite stress management workshop on the perceived stress levels of resident physicians. It was hypothesized that resident physicians would utilize stress management techniques to decrease their perceived stress and would report an increase in work satisfaction and increase their coping skills. The intervention focused on four major areas of stress management: (1) personal management skills; (2) relationship skills; (3) outlook skills; and (4) stamina skills. Sixty-four resident physicians from training programs in Pediatrics, Medical-Pediatrics, and Medicine volunteered to participate in this study. From this group, 43 resident physicians were divided into three sections and were assigned to one of three stress management workshops provided by the researcher. The remaining group of 21 resident physicians became a control group and received no treatment except for the pretest and posttest. To measure the perceived levels of stress, two stress instruments were administered to both groups with the pretest given two weeks before the workshop and the posttest given four weeks after the workshop. The instruments were the Essi Systems Stress Instrument (Orioli, Jaffe, & Scott, 1987) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson, 1981). The Life Experiences Survey (Sarason, Johnson, & Siegel, 1978) was administered to the treatment group only. Overall, the results supported the effectiveness of this model of stress management workshop for this population. The treatment group reported improvement in half the measures of stress and coping skills. The specific components which showed significant improvement were in areas such as work satisfaction, coping ability, behavioral and emotional symptoms of stress, and emotional exhaustion. The results were determined by an analysis of variance. Conclusions drawn from this study confirmed the high level of stress for resident physicians and indicated a definite place for stress management workshops within residency training programs, and possible for stress management programs in general. Implications were drawn for incorporating stress management training throughout the course of physician training to reduce stress directly by re-designing the work environment in which resident physicians practice.

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