Graduation Date

Spring 2026

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Master of Science degree with a major in Kinesiology

Committee Chair Name

Rock Braithwaite

Committee Chair Affiliation

Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff

Second Committee Member Name

Kinsey Mattison

Second Committee Member Affiliation

Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff

Third Committee Member Name

Whitney Ogle

Third Committee Member Affiliation

Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Coaching intervention, Collegiate athletes, Burnout, Anxiety, Depression, Mental health outcomes

Subject Categories

Psychology

Abstract

This meta-analysis examined the effects of coaching interventions on burnout and mental health outcomes among collegiate athletes. Following PRISMA guidelines, literature published from 1980 onward was searched across SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and ProQuest Theses & Dissertations. Studies were included if they assessed burnout, psychological well-being, or related mental health outcomes in collegiate athletes and investigated a coaching intervention. Twelve interventional studies met the inclusion criteria. Across studies, coaching interventions varied in structure, duration, sport context, and cultural setting, with most emphasizing intrapersonal strategies and emotional or mental health outcomes. Meta-analytic results indicated small, non-significant effects favoring coaching interventions for overall mental health (g = -0.33), anxiety (g = -0.30), and depression (g = -0.22), with substantial heterogeneity across analyses. Although pooled effects did not reach statistical significance, the overall pattern suggests that coaching interventions may provide modest psychological benefits for collegiate athletes. The findings highlight the importance of intervention quality, sport context, and coaching philosophy, while underscoring the need for more standardized, higher-quality research in this area.

Citation Style

APA

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