Date
12-19-2024
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)
Chair
Natalie Hamrick
Keywords
African American college athletes, resilience, coping strategies, minority stress, well-being
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Brown, Angela R., "The Role of Resilience and Coping Strategies Among African American College Athletes" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6386.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6386
Abstract
This quantitative correlational study examined the relationship between resilience-type coping strategies, stress, and positive well-being among 110 NCAA Division I African American college athletes. This study utilized seven validated scales: Minority Stress Scale (MSS-37), Brief-Coping Orientation to Problems Experience (COPE-28), Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (ACSI-28), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS=10), Coping Schemas Inventory-Revised (CSI-R), WHO Positive Well-Being (WHO-5), and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT-Sp-12). These scales measured levels of social support (emotional and informational support), hopefulness/optimism (freedom from worry), active/coping/flexibility/resourcefulness (goal setting, peaking under pressure, coachability, and confidence), good emotional-regulation and self-awareness (coping with adversity and concentration), finding meaning in a hardship (meaning), and religious coping (faith). The study revealed that emotional regulation, active coping, resourcefulness, self-awareness and emotional support were positively linked to well-being. The resilience-type coping strategies flexibility and hopefulness/optimism correlated with lower minority stress and perceived stress. Yet, finding meaning in hardship, religious coping, and social supports were linked to higher minority and perceived stress. These results suggest that certain strategies may be less effective in addressing the unique stressors related to race and athletics. The findings hold practical implications for psychological practice, consulting, and faith-based organizations, which can use this research to develop a deeper understanding and provide interventions that promote mental health and resilience in African American college athletes.
