Background: Career ending injuries are known to cause negative psychosocial and behavioural outcomes in retired athletes. However, there has been a limited amount of quantitative studies to complement mostly qualitative research. Furthermore, qualitative studies have typically assessed the effects of athletic identity, mental health/mood disturbances, loss, coping mechanisms and social support with minimal research regarding physical body transitions and body-esteem throughout the retirement process. Thus, the purpose of this thesis was to investigate the relationship between affective, behavioural, and cognitive outcomes and athletic retirement (voluntary, involuntary) among elite and competitive athletes. Method: A retrospective mixed method (questionnaire and interview) study was utilized to examine how participants interpreted their experience during the transitional process into retirement. Inclusion criteria consisted of male and female, elite and competitive athletes who have voluntarily or involuntarily (career ending injury) retired, ages 18 and above. Exclusion criteria included non-athletes/recreational athletes, athletes who were able to return to play or retired due to illness, health problems or deselection as well as who were less than 18 years of age. Posters were advertised in sports clubs, fitness centers, sports centers, physiotherapy offices and universities as well as on social media (Facebook and Instagram). The main outcome measures are as follows:1) Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS); 2) Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ), 3) Mental Health and 4) COPE Inventory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from both retirement (voluntary and involuntary) groups. All interviews (telephone, zoom) were recorded, transcribed verbatim and a thematic analysis was implemented to further determine the various themes and subthemes. An independent t-test explored the impacts of body dimensions and coping mechanisms on retirement type. Then a factorial ANOVA was conducted to examine the effects of the dependent variables (mental health, mood disturbances and coping mechanisms) on the main analysis (retirement) and the exploratory (strength of athletic identity) analysis. Results: 50 (26 involuntary and 24 voluntary) questionnaires and eight (four voluntary and four involuntary) interviews were completed by the participants. Results from the quantitative data revealed a borderline main effect of retirement type on both mental health and mood disturbances. An exploratory analysis found retirees who weakly identified with the athletic role were less likely to experience severe mood disturbances and demonstrated higher levels of mental health than retirees who strongly identified with the athletic role. Information from qualitative data suggested participants who involuntarily retired and possessed a strong athletic identity experienced higher levels of mood disturbances (depression, frustrations, loss etc.), lower levels of mental health, identity loss, physical discomfort, negative effects of mind and body dualism as well as utilized maladaptive coping techniques than their counterpart who voluntarily retired or weakly identified with the athletic role. Conclusion: Both retirement types are subjected to various athletic and non-athletic demands and psychosocial effects of athletic retirement however, what sets them apart from experiencing a successful or unsuccessful transition into retirement is the intensity and severity of their emotional reaction to their retirement. Limitations of said study included a decrease in sample size, memory recall bias, the participant’s own bias, limited diversity of the sample population as well as the inability to verify the findings from the interviews. The following study can be implemented to aid researchers, retired or soon to be retired athletes, coaches and athletic personnel to comprehend the diverse areas of athletic retirement. Future research should aim to investigate the impacts of mood disorders, the utilization of psychologist or mental performance consultant during the retirement process as well as the effects of body dimensions in retired athletes. Lastly, a longitudinal study should be employed to examine the athlete’s emotional response and reaction throughout retirement (time of injury, during physiotherapy, post- surgery and recovery). / Graduate

The aim of the study was to examine perceived challenges and coping strategies of Swedish elite show jumpers from the holistic perspective. A mixed-methodology was used with a dominant qualitative design and a supportive quantitative design. Semi-structured interviews based on the holistic athletic career model and two surveys developed from the qualitative results were used to collect the data. The participants of the study were 5 Swedish elite show jumpers between the age of 24-29 (M=26.4, SD=2.06). The qualitative findings resulted in two category profiles of perceived challenges and use of coping strategies. The quantitative findings resulted in two individual profile for each participant. The findings identified five higher order themes of perceived challenges (psychological, financial, psycho-social, athletic and vocational) and three higher order themes of coping strategies (social support, problemfocused coping and emotion-focused coping). The individual profiles showed both similar patterns and individual nuances between the participants. Major challenges for the equestrians were financial, injuries and dealing with identity foreclosure. This study represents an effort to highlight the challenges met and coping strategies used by equestrians on elite level, to prevent ineffective coping and negative consequences such as a premature dropout. / Syftet med studien var att undersöka svenska elithoppryttares upplevda utmaningar och coping strategier utifrån ett holistiskt perspektiv. En mixad metod användes med en dominant kvalitativ design och en stödjande kvantitativ design. Semistrukturerade intervjuer baserade på den holistiska karriärutvecklingsmodellen samt två enkäter utvecklade ur det kvalitativa resultatet användes för att samla in data. Deltagarna i studien utgjordes av 5 svenska elithoppryttare i åldrarna 24-29 (M=26.4, SD=2.06). Det kvalitativa resultatet gav två kategoriprofiler av upplevda utmaningar och användandet av coping strategier. Det kvantitativa resultatet gav två individuella profiler för varje deltagare. Resultatet identifierade fem överordnade teman av upplevda utmaningar (psykologiska, finansiella, psyko-sociala, idrottsliga och yrkesmässiga) och tre överordnade teman av coping strategier (socialt stöd, problemfokuserad coping och emotionsfokuserad coping). De individuella profilerna visade både liknande mönster samt individuella nyanser mellan deltagarna. De största utmaningarna för ryttarna var finansiella, skador och att hantera en sluten idrottsidentitet. Denna studie representerar ett försök till att belysa vilka utmaningar och coping strategier som används av ryttare på elitnivå, för att undvika ineffektiv coping och negativa konsekvenser så som ofrivilligt avslut av idrottskarriär.

Historically and contemporarily the Black male experience has stimulated and provoked meaningful discussions in the realms of sport and academia. Black males are uniquely situated in American society, as they inhabit a liminal existence that oscillates between love and hate. Ladson-Billings (2011) expounds that Black boys are loved in the narrow niches of sport but are often abhorred in academic settings. The majority of research on the athletic and academic identities of Black student-athletes is conducted at the collegiate level in the revenue sports of basketball and football, and the research asserts that the collegiate sport atmosphere renders the two identities as mutually exclusive (Edwards, 1984; Harrison et al., 2011; Singer, 2008). There are studies occurring at the middle school level; however, these studies combine all male athletes into one group and do not distinguish the research participants according to their specific sport participation or racial background (Alfone, 2013; Fuller, Percy, & Bruening, 2013; Gorton, 2010). The few studies that distinguish between race and sport participation are somewhat dated (Mahiri, 1991, 1998; Nasir, 2000, 2008). This study addresses a gap in the literature by focusing solely on elite Black male middle school student-athletes to discover what leads to the seemingly incompatible athletic and academic identities that surface during college. I employed an instrumental case study grounded in Critical Race Theory which investigated and examined the experiences and perspectives of seven elite Black middle school club basketball players. Themes were generated by coding the interview data of all relevant stakeholders such as coaches, players, and parents as well as a thorough analysis of field notes, artifacts, and focus group data. Five themes emerged from the data, Academic Recognition, Athletic Recognition, Career, Racial Expectations, & Time Devoted to Sport and Intellectual Endeavors. This study is significant because it contextualizes the racial, athletic and academic climate of Black male athletes at a crucial time in their identity development. It contributes to the current literature by providing insight and furnishing essential information for parents, coaches and educators in order to bolster and enhance the academic identity and attainment of young Black male basketball players.

Over the last three decades, the sports research community has demonstrated a growing interest in the process of sport retirement. The majority of the sport retirement research has focused on male professional athletes, traditionally those in the popular spectator sports. Yet, the process of leaving sport applies to thousands of individuals, both male and female, who engage in competitive sport. To date very little consideration has been given to the retirement experiences of female athletes. Three separate studies have been undertaken to address this identified gap in the literature. Studies One and Two aimed to explore the experiences of sport retirement for elite female athletes in Scotland, using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. In Study One questionnaire data was collected from 92 former Scottish elite female athletes. Questionnaire sections were designed to examine what were felt to be the major elements of the Taylor and Ogilvie (1994; 2001) conceptual model of adaptation to retirement from sport, in order to explore the applicability of this model to female athletes in Scotland. The results of the study provide support for the use of this model to assist in our understanding of the retirement transition. The findings highlighted the importance of athletic identity, reason for retirement, and perceptions of control in predicting the level of difficulty and adjustment that an athlete may experience upon their retirement. The most significant finding was the effect that athletic identity had on the retirement process, with those identifying strongly with the athletic role reporting significantly higher levels of difficulty, emotional adjustment, and social adjustment. 29 of these athletes participated in an in-depth interview within Study Two, enabling a more in-depth analysis of their retirement experiences. In this study particular attention was paid to the effect of athletic identity on this transition. In support of the findings of Study One, athletes with a strong and exclusive athletic identity were found to be more likely to experience difficulties when they retire. In comparison, athletes with lower levels of athletic identity generally experience some mild negative emotions after initially retiring, followed by a relatively smooth transition into their life after sport. The second part of this thesis examines formal programmes available to support female athletic retirement in Scotland. Study Three provides an evaluation of the Performance Lifestyle programme offered by the Scottish Institute of Sport, focusing in particular on the services related to preparation for life after sport. The perspectives of a number of different groups with an interest or involvement in the programme were examined and comparisons made with the delivery of Performance Lifestyle to other athlete groups in Great Britain. The results show that Performance Lifestyle is a very valuable source of support for athletes who are part of the Institute Network. The programme does deal with the issue of the end of the career, but it is definitely a weaker aspect, largely due to lack of resources. Performance Lifestyle in Scotland compares favourably with programmes offered by the Institute Network in England and by Welsh Rugby. However other professional sports are currently offering superior programmes due to higher levels of investment and resources.

In this thesis, I examine the use of Twitter by NHL athletes to determine how and in what ways professional hockey players’ personal and professional identities are shaped by their use of this medium. I explore the current cultural moment surrounding the lives of NHL athletes, focusing on the increasingly blurred line between their private and professional identities. By grounding my analysis of their Twitter use in a new labour context that is academically situated betwixt the literatures on media studies, celebrity culture and identity presentation, I show that participation in this medium allows both athletes and fans to actively reshape their own and each others’ identities, constructing a new set of standards for professional hockey players that takes into consideration the heightened demand for access to the behind-the-scenes of their lives. The ability of professional hockey players to interact with fans and media on Twitter is also creating new types relationships and producing new discourses for the typical hockey player identity, and the labour this career involves. Finally, through interviews with NHL players, I draw out their motives for using Twitter, their understanding of the impact of their interaction with fans on the perceptions those fans have of their professional identity, and their desire for work-life balance as their professional and personal identities seemingly merge on Twitter in a postmodern labour context fuelled by heightened celebrity culture. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-27 14:50:32.902

The purpose of this study was to explore athletic identity, identity foreclosure, and career maturity in a sample of undergraduate college students currently enrolled in kinesiology and physical education classes at a university in the southern United States. Students were provided with an internet link that requested them to complete a demographic survey, the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), the foreclosure subscale of the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status, and the Attitude Scale (Form A-2) of the Career Maturity Inventory. Examination of the Pearson moment correlations indicated that the higher the sport participation during high school, the greater the athletic identity and identity foreclosure, and lower the career maturity attitudes. ANOVAs were performed to examine differences between males (n = 123) and females (n = 183), kinesiology (n = 181) and non-kinesiology majors (n = 125), and white (n = 144) and non-white students (n = 162) on athletic identity, identity foreclosure, and career maturity. Results showed that males scored significantly higher on athletic identity and identity foreclosure, and significantly lower on career maturity than females. Kinesiology students had scores significantly higher on athletic identity and identity foreclosure, and lower on career maturity. Finally, individuals that identified their ethnicity as White had higher athletic identity, lower identity foreclosure, and significantly higher career maturity than individuals who identified as an ethnicity other than white. Although the relationships in this study are in line with what has been found in previous research, the relationships among this sample of undergraduate students were weak. Future research should replicate the study using a measurable level of sport skill level. Future research should also consider introducing an intervention with a career development program, and track participants' athletic identity, identity foreclosure, and career mature before, during, and after implementation of the program.

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<p>The objectives of this study concerning Swedish players’ transition from junior to senior football were to examine: (1) transition, perceived health, and athletic identity variables, as well as the relationship between them; (2) how transition, perceived health, and athletic identity variables contribute to: (a) healthy sport participation; (b) unhealthy sport participation; (c) quality of adjustment on the senior level of football; (d) life satisfaction. The theoretical frameworks included: the developmental model on transitions faced by athletes; the career transition model; the perceived health and sport/exercise participation model; the circle of health model. The participants (n = 126) were Swedish adolescent football players at local, national or international competitive levels. Three instruments were used in regard of the quantitative approach: the Transition Monitoring Survey; the Perceived Health and Sport Participation Profile; the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale. The transition variables were examined and several relationships were discovered between transition and perceived health variables, and athletic identity. Four multiple regression analyses showed that satisfaction with different spheres of life and coping strategies are significant positive predictors of healthy sport participation. Athletic identity, personal resources, and environmental pressure are significant positive predictors of unhealthy sport participation. In addition, environmental support was revealed to be a significant negative predictor of unhealthy sport participation. Importance of different aspects of sport and satisfaction with sport participation are significant positive predictors of the quality of adjustment on the senior level of sports, whereas importance of different spheres of life and athletic identity are significant negative predictors. Importance of different spheres of life and healthy sport participation are significant positive predictors of life satisfaction. The results are discussed in relation to theoretical frameworks and previous research.</p> / <p>Syftena med föreliggande studie angående svenska spelares övergång från junior till seniorfotboll var att undersöka: (1) övergångs-, upplevd hälsa- och idrottsidentitetsvariabler, såväl som förhållandet mellan dem; (2) hur övergångs-, upplevd hälsa- och idrottsidentitetsvariabler bidrar till: (a) ett hälsosamt idrottsdeltagande; (b) ett ohälsosamt idrottsdeltagande; (c) idrottarnas anpassning till seniornivån i fotboll; (d) livstillfredsställelse. De teoretiska referensramarna inkluderade: the developmental model on transitions faced by athletes; the career transition model; the perceived health and sport/exercise participation model; the circle of health model. Deltagarna (n = 126) bestod av svenska ungdomsfotbollsspelare på lokal, nationell och internationell tävlingsnivå. Tre mätinstrument användes med tanke på den kvantitativa utgångspunkten: Enkäten Karriärövergången från Junior till Senioridrott; Upplevd Hälsa & Idrottsdeltagande Profil; Athletic Identity Measurement Scale. Övergångsvariablerna undersöktes och flera samband upptäcktes mellan övergångs- och upplevd hälsavariabler och idrottsidentitet. Fyra multipla regressionsanalyser visade att tillfredsställelse med olika delar av livet och copingstrategier är positivt signifikanta faktorer som bidrar till ett hälsosamt idrottsdeltagande. Idrottsidentitet, personlighetsfaktorer och tidigare erfarenheter, samt press från omgivningen är positivt signifikanta faktorer som bidrar till ett ohälsosamt idrottsdeltagande. Dessutom så upptäcktes support från omgivningen att vara en negativt signifikant faktor som bidrar till ett ohälsosamt idrottsdeltagande. Hur viktiga olika delar av idrotten är och tillfredsställelsen med idrottsdeltagandet är positivt signifikanta faktorer som bidrar till idrottarens anpassning till seniornivån, då däremot hur viktiga olika delar av livet är och idrottsidentiteten är negativt signifikanta faktorer. Hur viktiga olika delar av livet är och ett hälsosamt idrottsdeltagande är positivt signifikanta faktorer som bidrar till livstillfredsställelse. Resultaten diskuteras i förhållande till de teoretiska referensramarna och tidigare forskning.</p>