THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND RESILIENCE IN COLLEGE STUDENT ATHLETES

Abstract

Anxiety disorder is becoming increasingly prevalent across college campuses, particularly amongst student athletes who face additional stressors and challenges than their peers. Given the well-documented correlation between anxiety and depression, the number of collegiate athletes suffering from depression is unsurprisingly growing as well. Psychologists have recently begun to take a more prophylactic approach to treating these disorders through resilience training. Resilience training focuses on developing greater mental fortitude and confidence to better cope with mental and emotional challenges. The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between resilience, depression, and anxiety for college student athletes. It sought to contribute to the development of an effective resilience educational modules that collegiate sports programs across the country can readily employ. Research Design: The proposed project employed a survey research design to explore the complex relationship between depression, anxiety, and resilience for college student athletes. Data Analysis Strategy: A Structure Equation Modeling (“SEM”) was employed to account for any measurement error between the observed items (responses on the instruments) and the latent variables (anxiety, resilience, and depression). More importantly, SEM examined whether the collected data supported the theoretical model proposed in this research. Key Measures: levels of anxiety, depression, and resilience in current collegiate athletes at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.