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Date of Graduation
5-14-2026
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Educational Specialist (EdS)
Department
Department of Graduate Psychology
First Advisor
Amanda Evans
Second Advisor
Kenson Hiatt
Third Advisor
Robin Anderson
Abstract
Student-athletes are considered a vulnerable population for the development of eating disorders and disordered eating symptomology. Athletes are more likely to experience eating pathology compared to non-athletes due to several risk factors including the athletic culture, personality traits, type of sport involvement, and gender. Female athletes are more susceptible to diagnosis due to societal pressure and underrepresentation of proper diagnostic tools and criteria for men. In addition, when athletes are lumped together as a sub-population of college students, it is a disservice to the level of care they require. Literature on athletes in different academic years is nonexistent which demonstrates a lack of knowledge regarding when this issue is at its peak during the athletic career. This review evaluates non-athletic first-year students and draws conclusions about the prevalence and severity of symptomology and offers implications for both first-year and graduating student-athletes. Intervention during the most vulnerable periods can be crucial to recovery and the formation of adaptive habits. Policy/cultural change and a group format is proposed to intervene, treat, and prevent eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors within the collegiate student-athlete.
