Date of Award

6-2020

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Kinesiology

First Advisor

Erik Lind, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Larissa True, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Alyson Dearie, Ed.D.

Abstract

Many variables can factor into a student athlete sustaining an injury, but one of the most interesting is stress. The Stress and Injury Model is excellent in explaining how exactly history of stressors, personality, and coping mechanisms play a pivotal role in the stress response. If these three factors cause a negative stress response, then that will lead to an athlete becoming more likely to become injured. This study used 40 ice hockey players from a Division III NCAA institution. Each participant completed the Inventory of College Students’ Recent Life Experiences (ICSRLE) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) every month throughout the athletic season. The total number of injuries were also calculated over the course of the season. The results showed that stress scores were significantly higher (p < .001) at the start of the season. Additionally, these higher stress scores were found to be significantly correlated with lower sleep quality. However, injury rates were not found to be significantly correlated with stress scores. Based off the past literature, an increase in stress at the beginning of the season could mean that there are more injuries sustained at this time. Future research should examine stress and injury rates over the duration of a full season, as well as incorporate baseline measurements to study further the effects of the start of a competitive season on stress.

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