Felts, Samantha Stress, Social Support, The Coaching Relationship, and Well-Being in College Athletes: A Mixed Methods Study. 2025. Radford University, Dissertation. Radford University Scholars' Repository.
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Abstract
This study addressed a gap in the literature regarding the role that social support and the coach-athlete relationship play in the well-being of NCAA college athletes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the well-being of college athletes and the roles of perceived stress, coach support, and the coach-athlete relationship in affecting their well-being. This mixed-methods study used the Perceived Available Support in Sport Questionnaire (PASS-Q), the Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q), the Sports Mental Health Continuum- Short Form (Sport MHC-SF), the College Student-Athletes Life Stress Scale (CSALSS) questionnaires, and open-ended qualitative questions to gain a deeper understanding of the college athlete’s experiences. The findings confirmed that perceived stress is a significant predictor of well-being. Coach support did not moderate the stress-well-being relationship. Coach support independently contributed to higher well-being, reinforcing the importance of a supportive coaching environment. The moderated moderation effect was not significant. The results suggest that coach support consistently impacts well-being, regardless of the closeness or quality of the relationship between the coach and the athlete. Conversely, the qualitative themes that emerged suggest that coach support can serve as a buffering mechanism for perceived stress. Several key qualitative themes illustrated the complexity of the coach-athlete relationship, which may positively and negatively impact the college athletes’ perceived stress and well-being. These findings suggest the need to understand these factors better to support each athlete effectively.
| Item Type: | Dissertation |
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| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology |
| Divisions: | Radford University > College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences > Department of Psychology |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Nov 2025 23:42 |
| Last Modified: | 10 Nov 2025 23:42 |
| URI: | http://wagner.radford.edu/id/eprint/1269 |
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