Graduation Date
Fall 2025
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Kinesiology, option Exercise Science
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Rock Braithwaite
Committee Chair Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Shannon Childs
Second Committee Member Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Justus Ortega
Third Committee Member Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Keywords
Injuries, Mental health, Training volume, Weekly mileage, Cross-country runners
Subject Categories
Kinesiology
Abstract
Training for a cross-country season requires athletes to accumulate a high volume of training miles at different intensities. Over a period of months and years, consistent high training volumes have been shown to contribute to overuse injuries in cross country athletes. Injuries have been shown to negatively impact athlete’s mental health; this is especially true in student athletes. The purpose of this research is to explore the mediating effect of injuries on the relationship between training volume and mental health in collegiate cross-country runners. Participants in this study were 40 members of NCAA Division 2 Cross Country teams with eligibility for the 2025 season. Athletes reported their weekly mileage, average intensity, total time, injury status, and mental health information on a weekly survey distributed via email using Qualtrics software. Out of the 40 participants that began the trial, 31 completed all 12 weeks of data collection (n=31, 11 female, 19 male, 1 did not report, avg. age and years of collegiate running experience 20.19 ± 2 years and 1.42 ± 1 years, respectively). A mediation analysis was conducted to describe the mediating effect of injuries on the relationship between training volume and mental health. Both the direct and non-direct effects of running mileage on mental health were found to be non-significant (b = 0.03, SE = 0.05, p = .49, 95% CI [–0.06, 0.13], b = –0.008, BootSE = 0.03, 95% BootCI [–0.06, 0.05]). Several personal and situational factors other than mileage and injury likely had a more powerful influence on the participant’s mental health over the 12 weeks of data collection. Future research concerning the mental health of student athletes should consider the impact of non-sport specific factors on mental health.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
LeDuc, Jaxon, "The mediating effect of injury on the relationship between running mileage and depressive symptoms in division 2 cross country athletes" (2025). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2529.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2529