Varsity student athletes’ experiences of stress compared to their non-athlete counterparts: A cross-sectional analysis

Student athletes are at increased risk for experiencing stressors compared to their non-athlete peers. Understanding how student athletes experience stressors can inform tailored mental health prevention and intervention approaches. This study aimed to compare the severity and frequency of stressors experienced by university athletes and their non-athlete counterparts across several domains (i.e. academic, learning environment, campus culture, interpersonal, and personal). Participants were 171 varsity student athletes and 171 non-athletes who completed a survey including the Post-Secondary Stressors Index. Results showed that student athletes and non-athletes reported similar academic and learning environment stressors, but student athletes reported significantly less frequent and severe stress related to some campus culture and interpersonal stressors. Athletes found balancing extracurriculars with academics more stressful while non-athletes reported more post-graduation stressors. Results highlight the stressors that must be addressed among student athletes and ways that unique features of the athletic environment might buffer against some stressors.