Understanding and addressing psychopathology and well-being in Canadian university student-athletes
| dc.contributor.advisor | Olthuis, Janine | |
| dc.contributor.author | Fitzpatrick, Siobhan Kaleigh | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-07-23T14:07:40Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-07-23T14:07:40Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-06 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The university student-athlete population is at risk for experiencing more psychopathology and lower well-being compared to their non-athlete counterparts, with female athletes, first-year athletes, and in-season athletes demonstrating heightened vulnerability. Yet, few, if any, studies have investigated the association between psychopathology and well-being in Canadian student-athletes, and research has not sought to understand the implications of any association for Canadian student-athletes’ functioning (i.e., academic performance, social functioning, physical health, and athletic success). Moreover, despite an identified need in the field, minimal effort has been made to construct and evaluate the implementation of well-being interventions for student-athletes. This dissertation includes two studies with two overarching aims: (1) to examine the intersection of well-being and psychopathology in student-athletes, and (2) to evaluate, using Proctor et al.’s (2011) framework, the implementation of a novel well-being intervention for student-athletes. Study 1 participants were 242 Canadian university student-athletes who completed an online self-report survey assessing psychopathology and well-being alongside academic attitudes, perceived social support, physical health, and subjective sport performance. Results revealed a significant negative correlation between psychopathology and well-being, with most student-athletes (69%) classified as possessing complete mental health (i.e., high well-being, low psychopathology) according to the dual-factor model. Female (vs. male) student-athletes demonstrated increased risk for anxiety and depression, but no other differences emerged for gender, university year, or season status on dual-factor model categorization. Dual-factor model categorization did, however, result in differences in athletic, social, and physical health functioning. In Study 2, four varsity teams (n = 66 student-athletes) participated in a single session well-being intervention. An analysis of intervention implementation did not provide support for the feasibility of the intervention in its current form, although the intervention was highly acceptable by key stakeholders. Taken together, findings from both studies provide much-needed data on Canadian student-athlete mental health and well-being and their implications for functioning, alongside valuable suggestions for ways to more successfully tailor and implement an intervention to promote student-athlete well-being. | |
| dc.description.copyright | © Siobhan Fitzpatrick, 2024 | |
| dc.format.extent | xiii, 200 | |
| dc.format.medium | electronic | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://unbscholar.lib.unb.ca/handle/1882/38062 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of New Brunswick | |
| dc.rights | http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 | |
| dc.subject.discipline | Psychology | |
| dc.title | Understanding and addressing psychopathology and well-being in Canadian university student-athletes | |
| dc.type | doctoral thesis | |
| oaire.license.condition | other | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Psychology | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | University of New Brunswick | |
| thesis.degree.level | doctorate | |
| thesis.degree.name | Ph.D. |