Document Type
Poster Presentation
Publication Date
Spring 4-19-2024
Date Assignment Submitted
2024
Abstract
Research suggests that college student athletes experience more psychological and academic stressors than non-athletes. Therefore, it is prudent for universities to understand and plan to combat the psychological and academic risks that athletes experience. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in four psychological outcomes (stress, anxiety, depression, and resilience) and one academic outcome (GPA) for athletes (N = 44) vs. non-athletes (N = 207). The hypothesis for the study is that there is a significant difference in educational outcomes between student athletes and non-athletes; however, there is no significant difference is psychological outcomes.
The methodology of the study was a survey sent out to 251 students within a university setting. The participants of the study included athletes (N = 44) and non-athletes (N = 207). The study also consisted of 132 females and 117 males. The results from a series of independent samples t-tests suggest that there were no differences in stress, anxiety, or depression. However, athletes had a significantly higher GPA and marginally significantly lower resilience. Furthermore, there is no difference in depression. A unique finding here is that non-athletes reported slightly higher resilience, even though it is not statistically significant. This is surprising and warrants further research. More distinct is the finding that athletes had significantly higher GPAs. This finding makes sense, as many schools require athletes to maintain a minimum GPA to keep their scholarships and roster spots. Further implications of this research will be discussed.
Conference/Symposium
Lynn University Student Research Symposium
Contest
Poster Presentation: Social Science category
City/State
Boca Raton, FL
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Recommended Citation
Blumenfeld, S., Barber, G., Fiz, S., Ceccoli, D., & Cooper, P. J. (2024, April 19). College student-athletes have higher GPAs but do not differ from non-athletes in key psychological outcomes [Poster presentation]. Lynn University Student Research Symposium, Boca Raton, FL, United States.
