Comparing Sources of Stress in College Student Athletes and Non-Athletes

The transition from high school to college can be stressful for any student (Hudd et al., 2000; Pritchard, Wilson, & Yamnitz, 2004), but recent evidence suggests that athletes may experience even greater levels of stress due to the dual demands of athletics and academics placed on them during their freshman year. Lazarus and Folkman (1996) have defined stress as the negative feeling that occurs when an individual feels unable to cope with the demands placed upon them by their environment. For the matriculating freshman student athlete, these demands may at times seem overwhelming.