Date of Graduation

1989

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

In an effort to better understand the patterns of life stress sources, stress reactions, and perceptions of control over life situations of college student-athletes, a battery of three self-report instruments were administered to 400 male and female student-athletes at a medium size, land grant university. Responses from 263 individuals on the Campus Stress Questionnaire, Levenson's locus of control questionnaire, and the Sport Competition Anxiety Test, indicated that the student-athletes perceived they experienced significantly greater amounts of overall life stress, cognitive stress symptoms, and less sport competition anxiety than the norm. Respondents reported they own a significantly more external locus of control disposition, which tends to be chance-oriented. The results lend support to the assumption that student-athletes have unique psychosocial needs and that they probably can be considered a special college population worthy of special helping services.

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