Abstract
In recent decades, scholars and practitioners alike have devoted increased attention to the psychological well-being of student-athletes. However, to date, far less research has examined the role of virtues, religion, and spirituality in contributing to well-being in student-athlete populations. In this study, we attempt to address these gaps by (a) assessing the association between trait courage, an understudied virtue in the sporting realm, and mental well-being, and then (b) considering how student-athletes’ attachment to God might moderate the association between trait courage and depressive symptoms. Drawing on a sample of 415 student-athletes from the USA, regression results illustrate that courage was not significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms among student-athletes. However, a secure attachment to God appeared to function as a compensatory resource for student-athletes lacking in courage. On the contrary, athletes with low trait courage but who reported greater avoidant attachment to God reported greater depressive symptoms. Taken together, a more positive relationship with God could help provide athletes with lower trait courage a way to find meaning and strength that helps them with emotion-regulation strategies to deal with the pressures within and beyond their sport. This study clearly shows that greater attention should be paid to the religious and spiritual development of student-athletes.
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Notes
Courage can be clearly differentiated from other related constructs, such as “grit,” which is defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals” (Duckworth et al., 2007, p. 1087). While grit is the ability to persevere through challenges over time, courage involves taking approach-oriented action specifically in the face of perceived risk/threat to achieve personally meaningful, worthwhile goals. Courage is often conflated with being strong, but courage is what allows a person to do things even when they do not feel strong (Kosterlitz, 2015). Moreover, Denby (2016, p.1) notes that there is nothing in grit about “honesty or courage; nothing about integrity, kindliness, responsibility for others.”
There were a total of 61 multisport athletes in our sample. Of these respondents, 49 competed for NCAA Division 1 institutions and 12 competed at the Division 3 level.
Sensitivity analyses considered whether there was a curvilinear interaction term between courage, attachment to God, and depressive symptoms. No significant curvilinear interaction terms were found across the various attachment styles.
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Upenieks, L., Bounds, E.M., Melton, K.K. et al. Trait Courage, Attachment to God, and Mental Well-Being Among U.S. Collegiate Athletes. J Relig Health (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02054-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02054-z