The effects of wearable fitness devices on a female collegiate athlete's psychological rest

Abstract

Wearable fitness devices such as a smartwatch are common among athletes, however, these devices may manipulate perceptions of their health status as well as their psychological rest. Psychology of rest or “mental rest” is an essential part of recovery for overall health (Eccles & Kazmier, 2019). The psychology of rest model includes the resting process (i.e., always thinking one’s sport, being externally controlled, tedium, performance demands and non-sport opportunity costs), the state of being well rested, and wakeful rest (Eccles & Kazmier, 2019). The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of wearable fitness devices on collegiate athlete’s psychological rest. It is hypothesized that collegiate athletes will report higher levels of being poorly mentally rested as well as lower levels of wakeful rest while wearing the fitness trackers versus not wearing it. Participants included 20 NCAA Division I female athletes. The measurements consist of a mixed quantitative and qualitative analyses based on Eccles and Kazmier’s research (2019). The counterbalance, six-week study include participants wearing a fitness device, Fitbit Inspire 2, for two weeks and without it for another two weeks while responding to two psychology of rest questionnaires each week. On the last week, the researchers will conduct a stratified random sampling for an interview. Results found no significant differences in both questionnaires; however, the interview displayed the impact of the participant’s psychological rest related to stress demands from school and sport. This research benefits sport psychology professionals and coaches to better understand the athlete’s mental rest to improve their overall performance, and for sport science practitioners to utilize WFDs to enhance athlete sport performance.