Emotional Intelligence and Athlete Psychosocial Health (2016)
Undergraduates: Ashwin Bhadury, Sarah Little
Faculty Advisor: Johnathan DeFreese
Department: Applied Sciences
Extant research on sport-based social perceptions indicates a possible relationship between athlete social perceptions, traits, and psychological outcomes. This study examines the relationships among trait emotional intelligence (EI), social perceptions, and outcomes of overall psychological health, including burnout and well being. We hypothesized that EI would be positively associated with adaptive athlete psychosocial health outcomes (social support well being) and negatively associated with maladaptive outcomes (negative social interactions, burnout). Participants (N = 86; Mage = 20.2 years) were American collegiate varsity and club athletes who completed valid and reliable internet-based assessments of study variables and demographic information. Regression analyses indicated that social support (¿¿ = -0.34, p < .01) and negative social interactions (¿¿ = 0.34, p < .01), but not EI (¿¿ = -0.14, p > .05), to significantly predict global burnout. Results were similar for all burnout dimensions with the exception of reduced accomplishment which was significantly predicted by EI (¿¿ = -0.21, p < .05). EI (¿¿ = 0.40, p < .001) and social support (¿¿ = 0.23, p < .05) were both significant predictors of well-being. Findings indicate a possible relationship between EI and more adaptive athlete experiences. Study results add to current knowledge about EI¿¿¿s impact on athlete well being, as well as suggest that more research about this topic is necessary. _x000D_