College Student-athletes' COVID-19 Worry and Psychological Distress Differed by Gender, Race, and Exposure to COVID-19-related Events

E Whitney G Moore; Trent A Petrie; Lindsey E Slavin

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.12.022

College Student-athletes' COVID-19 Worry and Psychological Distress Differed by Gender, Race, and Exposure to COVID-19-related Events

J Adolesc Health. 2022 Apr;70(4):559-566. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.12.022. Epub 2022 Feb 13.

Authors

E Whitney G Moore¹, Trent A Petrie², Lindsey E Slavin²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Kinesiology, Health & Sport Studies, College of Education, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. Electronic address: WhitneyMoore@wayne.edu.
² Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) student-athletes' exposure to COVID-19-related events (e.g., canceled season, diagnosed with COVID) and their psychological distress in April/May 2020.

Methods: The link to the online survey was emailed to NCAA student-athletes by the NCAA Student Athlete Advisory Council and the athletic departments of 80 NCAA institutions. In April-May of 2020, student-athletes (N = 5915; women = 3924) completed the online survey once. The survey included measures of their psychological distress, COVID-19 worry, and their exposure to different COVID-19-related events. To examine differences in exposure to COVID-related events by racial, ethnicity, and gender identities, we conducted logistic regressions. A path analysis examined relationships between COVID-related events, COVID-19 worry, and psychological distress for men and women.

Results: Student-athletes' exposure to COVID-19 events differed significantly by gender, race, and ethnicity. In addition, 58.7% of women's and 54.5% of men's psychological distress variance was explained by the path model and mostly by their COVID-related worry. Student-athletes' stress was directly related to the changes that occurred in class delivery (i.e., online format) and indirectly by being quarantined. Men's psychological distress was also related through worry by their sport season being canceled.

Discussion: The general uncertainty and worry about COVID individuals experienced at the beginning of this pandemic primarily explained the athletes' high levels of psychological distress. As COVID-19 continues to cause quarantines and changes educational experiences, the worry and psychological distress of college students are likely to continue.

Keywords: COVID worry; College students; Gender differences; Psychological distress; Psychological stress; Race differences; Stress.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Athletes / psychology
Athletic Injuries* / epidemiology
COVID-19*
Female
Gender Identity
Humans
Male
Psychological Distress*
Students
Universities