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ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2426-9743
Date of Graduation
8-10-2026
Semester of Graduation
Summer
Degree Name
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
Department
Department of Graduate Psychology
First Advisor
Robert Harmison
Abstract
Research shows that college students have increased levels of mental health difficulties with freshmen transitioning into college experiencing even more strain. What further contributes to these difficulties includes having experienced the COVID pandemic in high school, low socioeconomic status (SES), and racial minority status. Student-athletes, although known to have better mental health than non-student-athletes, still underutilize their abundance of resources. Generally, a skill that has been established as beneficial in managing the difficulties related to college is resilience, suggesting the implementation of a more accessible resource to support the mental health of student-athletes transitioning into college. One such resource is the Changing Minds Changing Lives (CMCL) course to help students manage their obstacles by building their resiliency. The current study evaluated the utility of the CMCL course in developing resilience in incoming collegiate freshmen student-athletes. Informed by Sarkar and Fletcher (2013), the current study utilized protective factors, positive adaptation, and adversity as components of resilience. Participants included 18 NCAA Division I football players participating in the course as well as an equal number in the control group. Data were collected prior to the beginning of the course, immediately following the course, and three months after its conclusion. Results of this study did not identify any significant differences between the experimental and control group, as well as no significant difference between time-points for the experimental group. Qualitative inquiry revealed important aspects for improvement of the course, personal benefits of the course, as well as related general experiences in sport and academics that can be utilized for course improvements. Results of this study are valuable for identification of course improvements as well as establishment of other resources beneficial to the transition to college.
