An examination of athletic identity, sport commitment, time in sport, social support, life satisfaction, and holistic wellness in college student-athletes

Abstract

When addressing the unique challenges faced by college student-athletes, counselors should take a holistic approach, with attention given to the potential benefits of sport, rather than working only from a deficit model. This study examines the relationships among athletic identity, sport commitment, time participating in sport, and social support, life satisfaction, holistic wellness for college student-athletes. Using Pearson Product Moment correlations, two separate Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), and Step-wise Regression analyses, respectively, several variables had significant statistical and practical relationships. There were differences among the study variables based on each of the demographic variables (i.e., gender, ethnicity, seasonal status, year-in-school, playing status, and division level) and in holistic wellness variables based on other study variables. Only life satisfaction, sport commitment, and social support satisfaction accounted for a significant portion of variance in holistic wellness (23%).--Abstract