Sports Management Commons^™

Athlete Identity And Mental Health Among Ncaa Division Iii Student-Athletes, Sarah Stokowski, Alison Fridley, Chris Croft, Peyton Stensland, Skye Arthur-Banning

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

Student-athletes often identify with the athlete role and demonstrate high levels of athlete identity. High athlete identity leads to many unintended consequences such as low career maturity and difficulty adapting to a life beyond sport. Additionally, high athlete identity often leads to mental health concerns among the student-athlete population. Informed by self-categorization theory (Turner, 1982), the purpose of this study was to explore athlete identity and mental health among NCAA Division III student-athletes. The Athlete Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) and The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 were completed by 332 NCAA Division III student-athletes. The results demonstrated that Division III student-athletes …