Subjective Well-Being, Perceived Stress, and Social Connectedness in Collegiate Athletes

Abstract

While being an athlete is associated with lower levels of depressive symptomatology, it does not necessitate higher levels of subjective well-being (SWB). This study had two purposes: (1) to determine if athletes within a given sample would display average or above average levels of SWB and (2) to determine if stress and social connectedness are respectively negatively and positively correlated with SWB on a significant level as opposed to their relationship with depression, which is respectively positive and negative. This was a correlational study involving 49 students (32 females, 17 males) at Milligan College, TN, USA. Each filled out an online questionnaire administered through email which included the following measures: the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Social Connectedness Scale-Revised (SCS-R), and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ). Data was collected through qualtrics and analyzed by input to a Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient calculator. The results supported that athletes within the sample displayed average levels SWB. Additionally, stress and social connectedness were negatively and positively correlated with SWB, and negatively correlated with each other on the significant level. These results suggest the two factors could have moderated SWB, resulting in average levels. There is also the possibility that other individual factors come into play with moderating SWB, as is also the case with depression. Limitations to the study included a relatively small sample size and that it was cross-sectional rather than longitudinal.