Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1684-9995

Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

2023

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Communication Studies

First Advisor

Charles Lubbers

Abstract

College athletes are a unique group of individuals as they face many positive and negative challenges when competing in a collegiate sport. Verbal rumination is repetitive talk about a particular issue, accompanied by adverse effects for an individual. Verbal rumination is a common strategy athletes use to cope with difficulties along with managing challenging situations in their athletic program. To explore factors that might inspire or impede verbal rumination in collegiate athletics, the present study examines the quality of coach and teammate relationships, perceived stress and athlete identity. Results revealed the impact of relationships between coaches and athletes in respect to encouraging or mitigating verbal rumination. These findings also reiterated the vital importance of relationships with coaches as a gateway to verbal rumination and emphasized the interrelation between stress and identity, suggesting important practical implications related to health communication in collegiate athletics.

Subject Categories

Communication | Mental and Social Health

Keywords

College Athletes, Health Communication, Identity, Relationships, Stress, Verbal Rumination

Number of Pages

76

Publisher

University of South Dakota

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