Research paper, (Qualitative research method) Communication class

Well-being of student-athletes

How the Intimate Relationships Can Affect the Well-Being of Student-Athletes?

Franck Momo
COMM 380: Qualitative research
Doctor Farmer
March 11, 2021

Abstract:
 Student-athletes can sometimes have more pressure than a normal student because they have to get results first in school but also on the field if they want to have a chance to play. Sometimes a scholarship has been given to them because of their performance in the sport they practice, which can add even more pressure as to the results they must bring. Universities do their utmost to put student-athletes in the best conditions, especially when we know that they can bring a lot of money and a lot of visibility to the university.
However, many of these athletes may sometimes encounter performance problems during their time at university, whether at the sports or school level. Multiple factors can be the cause of these performance impediments that school or sports educators try to overcome with the person concerned. Nevertheless, there is one element that is rarely taken into account which is the sentimental life. We know that during the university years, students tend to meet people and fall in love. Student-athletes are also among these people. When things do not go well in your love life, it is sometimes difficult to talk about it and get help.
The aim of this research is to make the link between love and the physical and mental health of student-athletes and thus to see how intimate relationships can affect the well-being of student-athletes. Characterized by behavior that links exaltation and devotion, love resembles, in some respects, addiction to drugs, even obsessive-compulsive disorder. The act of love is not the only one responsible for all these benefits. Empathy, caring, mutual attention, and a sense of security in the emotional relationship play an important role in the physical and mental health of partners. The stress rate decreases and the immune system strengthens when a person is in love.
A short literature review.
Studies have already been carried out in the past on the welfare of student-athletes. A 2015 NCAA report found that suicide was the fourth leading cause of death among university athletes. This study shows that these same people could be victims of depression or low mood. The report, therefore, takes stock of depression and anxiety and indicates that factors such as lack of sleep, stress from academics, sports injuries, the pressure to perform and over-training can be the cause (Rao, A. L., Asif, I. M., Drezner, J. A., Toresdahl, B. G., & Harmon, K. G.).
Another study showed that student-athletes are a vulnerable group that is exposed to a number of stressors and often engages in risky physical behaviors. In this study, the objective was to evaluate the Health Literacy (HL) of student and non-study athletes in Divisions I, II, and III NCAA. The results showed that student-athletes had a lower functional LH and a lower communicative LH than their non-athlete peers. The results suggested that additional interventions may be needed to help student-athletes take care of their personal physical health (Physical health literacy of student-athletes).
In another study, the mental health of student-athletes is highlighted. The aim of this study was to equate college athletes to non-sports students in terms of mental health evaluation, recovery, and academic success. Anxiety, sleep, alcohol/drugs, extracurricular activities, and injuries were described as major school barriers by the athletes. This study highlights the fact that national data shows that between 17 and 21% of the population suffers from some type of mental illness. (Edwards, B., & Froehle, A).
One of the questions that can be asked through his previous studies is why the sentimental criterion is not taken into account. Whatever form of affection an individual experiences, be it, love, attachment, or desire, it can make the person better. Certainly, love can also lead to the vilest gestures, among jealous and/or possessive people. But this feeling of love has beneficial effects on physical and mental health. Can the fact that a student-athlete suffers from a romantic relationship affect his or her performance? We should pay a little more attention to sentimental life, especially when we know that it can have a significant impact on the lives of young adults and therefore university athletes. One of the research hypotheses could be to survey student-athletes on their love life.
So, we need someone close to them, a person who belongs to this circle to be able to ask these kinds of questions because the person will have a little more confidence and will be able to tell himself or herself that the person who is questioning her can understand what we can go through when an athlete and whether we are in a couple or not. Especially when you know how hard it is to get answers when it comes to romantic life because people, in general, do not like to give themselves up.
A question that can be asked is whether it is more difficult for a student-athlete to confide in his or her love life than a non-athlete student? Then that they are the reasons that it leads to thinking in this way. Why a break with our partner can make us lose motivation? Why can a healthy relationship with our partner allow us to have better results in our life?
Method
My goal, to study the issue, will be to survey a small number of student-athletes from all sports within our university, Campbell University, which is in NCAA Division I. The objective will be to see if there is a link between romantic relationships and the athletes’ performances. The approach will be to build a relationship of trust through the fact that I am a student-athlete myself and to open up to them so that they can in turn open up to me. Ask simple questions, as a grand tour question, and then ask more specific questions.
My main interest will be to ask open-ended questions in order to have more precision on the substance of their thinking. Many studies on the mental health of university athletes are questionnaires, which do not offer many answers and therefore are not specific enough.
The goal will then be to interpret the results and see if there are similar reasoning between the participants.
It will be interesting to see if a design emerges, with this new idea that intimate relationships can have an impact on the lives of university athletes and that will therefore have to be taken into account in future research.

Work cited

Edwards, B., & Froehle, A. (2021). Examining the incidence of reporting mental health diagnosis between college student athletes and non-athlete students and the impact on academic performance. Journal of American College Health, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1874387

Physical health literacy of student-athletes. (2020). Health & Social Care in the Community. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13251

Rao, A. L., Asif, I. M., Drezner, J. A., Toresdahl, B. G., & Harmon, K. G. (2015). Suicide in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes: A 9-year analysis of the NCAA resolutions database. Sports Health, 7(5), 452-457. https://doi.org/10.1177/1941738115587675