Examining The Factors That Influence Sub-Elite and Elite Athletes' Body Image After Transitioning Out of Sport

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dc.contributor.authorPiper, Lindsay
dc.date.accessioned2023-06-14T23:08:31Z
dc.date.available2023-06-14T23:08:31Z
dc.date.issued2023-05-05
dc.description.abstractAs majority of current research on athletes and body image focuses on actively competing athletes, this paper focuses on the factors that influence retired athletes' body image. Nine peer-reviewed qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies were organized into a Google Sheet to then narrow down the studies according to a theme, research paradigm, and if they were original peer-reviewed works prior to deciding on the studies to analyze in depth. Each study explored the factors that influence body image in current and retired athletes and what are facilitators to minimizing the risk of developing body image issues. Body image is defined as how someone feels or thinks about their body. It can change over time, highlighting the importance of determining protective factors for athletes as they adopt new training and diet requirements upon leaving sport. In following the guiding research question of what factors influence sub-elite and elite athletes' body image in retirement, seven themes emerged throughout the research: psychosocial, media, parents, coaches, type of sport, and psychological and physical factors. These themes allowed the researcher to focus on the unique influences each theme has on retired athletes and identify barriers and facilitators that retired athletes are facing and what the best responses to these influences are. Research shows current and effective interventions for actively competing sub-elite and elite athletes by encouraging athletes to focus on their bodies' ability to perform rather than their appearance matching Western body image ideals. However, there remains a gap in the research on supporting athletes' body image once they have retired from their sport. These findings may provide more insight to therapists who work with athletes and coaches and help develop psychoeducational programs for therapists to implement with sports teams and organizations to support athletes transitioning into retirement from their sport to minimize the impact of psychological and physical distress related to body image.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11803/2128
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisher.institutionCity University of Seattle (CityU)
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
dc.rightsopenAccess
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/
dc.subjectbody image
dc.subjectretired sub-elite athletes
dc.subjectretired elite athletes
dc.subjectnon-aesthetic sports
dc.subjectaesthetic sports
dc.subjectconstructivism
dc.subjectsociocultural model of body image
dc.subjectmedia
dc.subjectparents and athletes
dc.subjectcoaches and athletes
dc.titleExamining The Factors That Influence Sub-Elite and Elite Athletes' Body Image After Transitioning Out of Sport
dc.typeCapstone
thesis.degree.disciplineCounselling Psychology
thesis.degree.grantorCity University of Seattle (CityU)
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Counselling
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