Collegiate athletes experienced all the general changes caused by universities' implementation of increased safety regulations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also were subjected to unique stressors that arose from the NCAA decision to cancel all remaining sport seasons. Psychosocial resources, such as social support, self-compassion, and resilience, may have impacted how intensely and extensively athletes coped with the stress of COVID-19. I used structural equation modeling to explore the relationship between the psychosocial resources of social support, self-compassion, and resilience in relation to male collegiate athletes' (N = 1,974) psychological distress (i.e., depression and general psychological stress) in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the more supported, self-compassionate, and resilient the athletes reported being, the less psychological distress they reported experiencing (resilience to psychological distress (β = -.12, p < .001), self-compassion to psychological distress (β = -.41, p < .001), and social support to psychological distress (β = -.08, p < .001)). Additionally, self-compassion and social support were related indirectly (and inversely) to psychological distress, to the extent that they contributed to the athletes perceiving themselves as more resilient (Self Compassion → Resilience → Psychological Distress: β = -.08, 90% CI [-.15, -.04]; Social Support → Resilience Psychological Distress: β = -.06, 90% CI [-.10, -.03]). The total effects, which included the direct and indirect effects, were significant for social support (β = -.14, 90% CI -.20, -.08]) and self-compassion (β = -.49, 90% CI [-.60, -.38]). The supported relationships have application beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and can guide how sports medicine professionals intervene with athletes and their general mental health concerns.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc2356124 |
| Date | 07 1900 |
| Creators | Drew, Megan Joy |
| Contributors | Petrie, Trent, Watkins, Ed, Moore, Whitney, Jones, Martinque |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | Text |
| Rights | Public, Drew, Megan Joy, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved. |
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