Stress has been known to effect nearly everyone, however this is not to say that stress is entirely bad. Although often viewed as negative, stress can be beneficial for those, sometimes even increasing health and performance. Stress mindset theory states the way stress effects an individual depends on the belief of if stress has enhancing or deliberating attributes. Although stress has been reviewed within the general population, specific groups have been left out and needed further examination, specifically collegiate athletes. Since research has found that stress can be manipulated, figuring out if there is a difference in stress mindset can help those with stress-deliberating mindsets alter their perception of stress. The purpose of this study was to observe the differences, if any, in stress mindset between current student athletes and those who retired or terminated their sport participation. A total of 113 participants took part in the study by completing the Stress Mindset Measure along with several other measures. The study included 87 current and 26 former student athletes. Athletes reported no significant difference in stress mindset or was found between former and current college athletes, inferring that athletes are similar in the amount of stress they experience. However, current student-athletes did report a slightly lower SMM score. Limitations included data being collected during a global pandemic and future studies should aim to conduct research on this topic when not being in a pandemic and should focus on the possible relationship between burnout and stress mindset.

Faculty mentor: Dr. Amber Shipherd

Department of Health and Kinesiology