Date of Award

2021

Degree Name

Exercise Science

College

College of Health Professions

Type of Degree

M.S.

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Dr. Elizabeth Pacioles, Committee Chairperson

Second Advisor

Dr. Zachary Garrett, Committee Member

Third Advisor

Dr. Mark Timmons, Committee Member

Fourth Advisor

Ms Jennifer Johnson, Committee Member

Abstract

Athletic training students can experience stress and symptoms of burnout and there is empirical support for a relationship between stress and burnout in health professions students in fields such as medicine and nursing. 1-3 However, prior research on the relationship between stress and burnout has been limited in athletic training students. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between perceived stress and symptoms of burnout in athletic training students. Two hundred thirty athletic training students from 61 institutions completed an online questionnaire consisting of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Burnout Clinical Subtype Questionnaire - Student Survey (BCSQ-12-SS), and answered questions related to their athletic training student experience and stress management. Higher perceived stress scores were positively correlated to higher reported symptoms in all three burnout subtypes (overload, lack of development, and neglect), with the strongest relationship between perceived stress and symptoms of the overload burnout subtype. Number of classes, number of credit hours, and clinical site placements were unrelated to perceived stress or burnout symptoms. Students reporting that stress management was addressed in the athletic training curriculum had lower levels of perceived stress compared to students who reported that stress management was unaddressed. Students who reported use of a self-care stress management strategy (such as breaks, exercise, or time for themselves) had lower perceived stress scales compared to students who did not report using a self-care strategy. The findings suggest that how students respond to and manage stressors may be more important to the athletic training student experience than the size or type of workload.

Subject(s)

College students -- Psychology.

Stress (Psychology)

Athletic trainers -- Psychology.

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