It is commonly believed that athletes cope with stress better than non-athletes, either as a natural consequence of their training or due to better mental health. It may be reasoned that these stress management skills are particularly helpful in a collegiate environment since students are exposed to various academic, social, and financial stressors. I hypothesize that student-athletes in college have better stress management skills than their non-athletic peers. To test this hypothesis, a quantitative survey will be carried out amongst the athletic and non-athletic populations of my local university.
The questionnaire will consist of three parts: basic information, a stress scale, and a stress-coping inventory. Firstly, students will be asked to provide some background information so they can be labeled as either an athlete or non-athlete. Secondly, they will be asked to assess how often they experienced common symptoms of stress within the last month. It will include questions such as how frequently they experienced headaches and insomnia, as well as how often they were angered because of events outside of their control. Their responses will then be categorized as “low perceived stress,” “moderate perceived stress,” and “high perceived stress.” Thirdly, students will be asked to answer multiple-choice questions related to factors associated with successful stress management. A few examples include the quality of their diet, the frequency of alcohol and tobacco use, and the likelihood of asking friends or family for help. The students will then be qualified as possessing superior, above-average, average, or below-average stress management skills. A quantitative analysis will reveal whether athletes are statistically more likely to have lower perceived stress and engage in better stress-coping mechanisms.