Key result
First-year student-athletes assessed during their off-season reported higher perceived severity of psychological symptoms compared to those in-season, though the difference did not reach statistical significance.
Why the study?
Does the off-season increase psychological distress compared to the competition season in first-year college student-athletes?
Cross-Sectional (n=16)
No
Does the off-season increase psychological distress compared to the competition season in first-year college student-athletes?
Contrary to expectations, first-year student-athletes may experience greater psychological distress during the off-season than during the competition season, possibly due to the loss of structured routine.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Off-season stress elevation in student-athletes may warrant targeted monitoring; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective trials before guiding interventions.
We assessed 16 student-athletes in their first year of college on several dimensions, including severity of psychological and physical symptoms, mental health upset, academic concerns, suicidal tendencies, depressive outlook, anxiety and tension, attention difficulties, and alcohol abuse. We assessed half during their sports’ competition season and half during their off-season. Results pointed to increased perceived stress during the down time of off season. It may be that for student-athletes, the structure of competition season offsets the stress of competition, such that when the structure is removed or lessened, perceived stress increases. Implications of these data are discussed as well as plans for developing follow-up studies.
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DiClementi et al. (2017) conducted a cross-sectional in Psychological distress (n=16). Off-season vs. Competition season was evaluated on Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) General Severity Index (F=2.635, p=0.128). First-year student-athletes assessed during their off-season reported higher perceived severity of psychological symptoms compared to those in-season, though the difference did not reach statistical significance.
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