The primary purpose of this study was to determine if life stress had any affect on athletic performance and the occurrence of injury. The athletes in this study ranged in age from 17 to 22, and all had the potential and ability to practice and compete at the Division I level in track and field. The goal of the researcher was to collect as much information as possible on each athlete. Each athlete was required to write in a daily journal. A standard set of questions were asked in interviews prior to competition and following competition. Each athlete completed two types of scales prior to competition as well: Everyday Problem Scale (EPS) and Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT). Through this information five common trends emerged: injury with treatment, external distractions, a higher performance was perceived if their family and friends were present at competition, teammate support, and teammate frustration.The researcher believed there was sufficient evidence to dismiss the comparison between the five common trends and the scores of the SCAT and EPS. The SCAT scores were mainly at the moderate level. The average score among all the athletes was approximately "19" or moderate. The EPS dealt with life stress and not athletic stress.The most frequently cited concern by the athletes were financial problems, difficulties with a girlfriend, wanting a relationship with someone, and so forth, but none were consistently cited.The perception of the stressor was an important factor in this study since the athletes perceived each competition either as distressful or eustressful. Depending on how much the athlete perceived each competition as a stressor may have effected his performance. Few stressors were identified but depending on the competition the athlete may have focused so much on the stressor that it became distressful while at another competition the same stressor was not focused on as much so it was viewed as eustressful. / School of Physical Education
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/186112 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | Burkhart, Brian |
| Contributors | Wayda, Valerie K. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | ii, 66 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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