Differences in Psychological Skills Use in Division I Athletes

Abstract

Athletes use psychological skills such as imagery and relaxation to decrease stress, cope with competitive anxiety, and achieve an optimal state of arousal (Hagan & Schack, 2019). There is conflicting literature around how both sport types and different genders use these skills in their sport (Adegbesan, 2009; Di et al., 2019). The current study analyzed sport type and gender differences in the use of relaxation and imagery in 117 NCAA Division I (DI) athletes. Participants completed The Deliberate Relaxation for Sport Survey (Kudlackova, 2011) through Qualtrics. Results found no differences in how males and females use relaxation or imagery in their sport. Additionally, sport type had a significant effect on the reason for using performance imagery (p = .012), specifically for mental focus for competition. This study supports the use of individualized intervention programs to best help athletes use relaxation and imagery in the most effective ways for their performances.