Abstract
Student-athletes navigate complex physical, psychological, and social demands, prompting increased integration of mental performance (MP) services in collegiate athletics. However, program-level evaluations remain limited. PURPOSE: To assess the effects of one-on-one and team-based MP services on student-athlete outcomes during the Fall 2024 semester. METHODS: A total of 128 student-athletes (22% response rate) completed a post-season Qualtrics survey. Of these, 82 participated in one-on-one sessions and 68 in team sessions. Self-reported pre- and post-intervention ratings were collected retrospectively in Spring 2025 using custom 10-point Likert-type items assessing athletic performance, mindset, well-being, leadership, sport experience, and team culture. Paired-sample t tests were conducted, and Cohen’s d was calculated in MATLAB to assess change. RESULTS: For one-on-one sessions, mindset improved by 60% (M = 4.90 to 7.83), t(69) = 12.46, p < .001, d = 1.49; athletic performance by 37% (M = 5.76 to 7.89), t(65) = 11.00, p < .001, d = 1.35; well-being by 31% (M = 6.20 to 8.09), t(65) = 9.29, p < .001, d = 1.14; sport experience by 26% (M = 6.37 to 8.00), t(67) = 8.77, p < .001, d = 1.06; and leadership by 27% (M = 5.83 to 7.41), t(63) = 7.52, p < .001, d = 0.94. In team sessions, personal mindset improved by 40% (M = 5.75 to 8.03), t(58) = 9.56, p < .001, d = 1.24; team mindset by 35% (M = 6.03 to 8.14), t(62) = 9.37, p < .001, d = 1.18; personal athletic performance by 27% (M = 6.19 to 7.88), t(57) = 7.67, p < .001, d = 1.01; team culture by 21% (M = 6.94 to 8.42), t(61) = 7.46, p < .001, d = 0.95; and team athletic performance by 22% (M = 6.59 to 8.05), t(57) = 5.89, p < .001, d = 0.77. Across five consultants, the mean recommendation rating was 9.00 (SD = 1.34, 95% CI [8.70, 9.30]). CONCLUSION: MP services were associated with statistically and practically significant gains across psychological skills, performance-related functioning, and interpersonal or cultural domains. While findings are promising, future research should address the low response rate, retrospective design, and potential self-selection bias, and should examine the effects of dual participation in one-on-one and team-based services, which were not included in the present analysis.
Recommended Citation
Stamatis, Andreas; Nichols, Katie; Gastinger, Lindsey; Augustus, Andrew; and Oates, Jasmine
(2025)
"Program-Level Evaluation of One-on-One and Team-Based Mental Performance Services Among Collegiate Student-Athletes,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 15:
Iss.
6, Article 7.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol15/iss6/7