Collegiate athletes have been an overlooked and vulnerable population regarding mental health concerns. Across the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and Division II, many athletes have taken on the mindset of “shake it off” or “get over it”, when dealing with physical or emotional pain (López and Levy, 2013). Additionally, collegiate athletes face barriers when considering treating pain, including the limited availability of time to use services, the stigma of being perceived as weak by coaches or other teammates, and the lack of counselors that have knowledge or experience with sports. Given these disparities, the current study attempted to understand the impact of injury, support, and emotional distress on current collegiate athletes. The researchers hypothesized that greater collegiate sports-related injuries, reduced team and coach support (Perceived Available Support in Sport Questionnaire), greater perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), and reduced readiness to return to sport following injury (Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport Scale) would be associated with reduced measures of psychological wellbeing (Student-Athlete Wellbeing Scale) and increases in athletic burnout (Athlete Burnout Scale). Participants included student-athletes from a private, liberal arts university, who completed an online survey. Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant association between number of collegiate injuries (NCI: β=.533, p<.027) and perceived stress (PSS: β=.716, p<.012) on the Athlete Burnout subscale, sports devaluation (r2 = .903, F(3,7) = 12.397, p < .017). Furthermore, perceived stress was also significantly associated with athletic burnout subscales: reduced accomplishments (r2 = .942, F(3,7) = 21.555, p < .006; β=.750, p<.004) and emotional & physical exhaustion (r2 = .883, F(3,7) = 10.100, p < .024; β=.943, p<.006), as well as, psychological wellbeing (SAWS: r2 = .919, F(3,7) = 15.120, p < .012; β=-.922, p<.004). Measures of support in sport and psychological readiness to return to sport after injury were not significant predictors of either athlete burnout or student-athlete wellbeing. This data suggests that perceived stress is a primary predictor of burnout and psychological wellbeing in student-athletes and may help to identify those athletes in need of additional support. However, further studies need to investigate this relationship as this fairly homogenous athlete population may not fully identify specific vulnerabilities of the larger collegiate athlete population.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:asrf-2051 |
| Date | 25 April 2023 |
| Creators | Masiello, Angela, Smith, Katherine, Hurley, Michelle |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Appalachian Student Research Forum |
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