Athletic Injury and the Effects on Division III Athletes' Identity and Mental Health

Download or read book Athletic Injury and the Effects on Division III Athletes' Identity and Mental Health written by Taylor La Page and published by . This book was released on 2024 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aim of this thesis is to investigate the effect of an athletic injury on Division III athletes' identity and mental health. Division III collegiate athletes from a northeastern conference located in the United States (N= 49) completed an online survey with questions regarding injuries they obtained while playing collegiate athletics, social media usage, NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deal, recovery, mental health, and identity. Six Division III student athletes from a university located in the northeastern United States participated in an in-depth interview regarding injury and the effects on the athletes' physical and psychological health. Quantitative results did not show any statistical significance related to collegiate athletes having a season ending injury versus a non-season ending injury, gender differences in the process of recovery, nor the effect of an NIL deal and social media following on an athletes' recovery. Qualitative results suggest that an injury does affect an athlete's mental health, identity, and performance pressure, yet they can overcome these challenges through a strong support system, determination, and resilience.