This study sought to determine the efficacy of particular strategies for delivering information about coping skills for stress to college student-athletes. This study analyzed 166 undergraduate varsity student-athletes. Among these participants, 60.8% were female (n = 101). The authors used a randomized controlled trial to compare video-based and text-based interventions designed to deliver coping skills information. Five weeks after the intervention, the participants completed a follow-up survey containing simple self-report questions regarding the memorability, use, and helpfulness of the coping skills information. In general, both strategies led to the use of coping skills by a sizeable proportion of the sample. The participants in the video-based deep breathing intervention were more than twice as likely to use coping skills compared with participants in the text-based intervention (risk ratio = 2.20, 95% confidence interval [1.02, 4.71], p = .03). Overall, the results suggest that both video- and text-based interventions have the potential to promote coping skills.
Comparison of Brief Videos and Articles to Promote Coping Skills Among Student-Athletes
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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Malone and Eisenberg are with the Department of Health Management & Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Malone is now at the Department of Health Policy and Management, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Kern was with the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; and is now at Counseling and Psychological Services, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Klueh is with the Department of Athletics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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