Statistically significant differences on the basis of race and gender were found for stigma tolerance, one of three dimensions of athlete attitude variance toward seeking sport psychology consultation

Lounsbury, John W.

Martin, Scott

Wrisberg, Craig A.

English

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
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Different Perspectives on Majority Rules (1996) People of Color in Predominantly White Institutions 
April 1996 
NCAA Division I Athletes' Perceptions of Psychological Skills and 
Attitudes Toward Seeking Sport Psychology Consultation 
Scott Martin 
University of North Texas 
Craig A. Wrisberg 
University of Tennessee 
John W. Lounsbury 
University of Tennessee 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/pocpwi1st 
 Part of the Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons 
Martin, Scott; Wrisberg, Craig A.; and Lounsbury, John W., "NCAA Division I Athletes' Perceptions of 
Psychological Skills and Attitudes Toward Seeking Sport Psychology Consultation" (1996). Different 
Perspectives on Majority Rules (1996). 26. 
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/pocpwi1st/26 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the People of Color in Predominantly White Institutions at 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Different Perspectives on 
Majority Rules (1996) by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 
NCAA Division I Athletes' Perceptions of Psychological Skills 
and Attitudes Toward Seeking Sport Psychology Consultation 
 
Dr. Scott Martin 
University of North Texas 
Co-Authors 
Craig A. Wrisberg 
University of Tennessee 
John W. Lounsbury 
University of Tennessee 
 
Statistically significant differences on the basis of race and gender were found for 
stigma tolerance, one of three dimensions of athlete attitude variance toward 
seeking sport psychology consultation. 
 
The major purpose of this study was to develop and standardize a questionnaire to 
measure athletes' perceptions of psychological skills and their attitudes toward seeking 
sport psychology consultation. A 50-item questionnaire was developed and administered 
to 48 African-American (14 female and 34 male) and 177 Caucasian (79 female and 98 
male) athletes ranging from 17 to 23 years of age at an NCAA Division I university. 
Principle components factor analyses were conducted to extract initial factors, followed 
by varimax orthogonal rotation. The results revealed three dimensions of athlete attitude 
representing 35% of the variance: stigma tolerance (sport psychology 
consultation/sociocultural), confidence in sport psychology consultation/recognition of 
need for sport psychology consultation, and personal openness/openness to sport 
psychology. A secondary purpose of this study was to determine whether perceptions of 
psychological skills and/or attitudes toward seeking sport psychology consultation of 
athletes differed as a function of gender and race. A MANOV A and follow-up univariate 
analysis were performed on the factors to identify which ones maximized differences 
among race and gender groups. Factor 1, Stigma Tolerance, was significant for race, E(I, 
210)=19.36, 12=.0001, w2=.07; and for gender, E(I, 210)=44.13, 12=.0001, w2=.16. No 
other significant effects were obtained. However, 2 (Gender) x 2 (Race) ANOV As were 
performed on each item of the questionnaire which revealed that male athletes exhibited a 
greater stigma towards sport psychology, whereas, females viewed a sport psychology 
consultant (SPC) as someone who could help them enhance their athletic performance. 
Specifically, males would rather have feelings of too much pressure during competition 
than seek the assistance of an SPC because they felt they would be ridiculed if they had 
to resort to asking for assistance. Moreover, compared with Caucasian athletes, African-
American athletes were less likely to think that an SPC could help them perform better or 
improve their mental toughness; were more apprehensive about going to an SPC because 
they feared they would be harassed by teammates or receive a bad reputation; were less 
likely to self-disclose; were less committed to following the instructions of an SPC; and 
were more comfortable with an SPC who was of the same race and gender as them. 
Implications for consultants working with African-American athletes and 
recommendations for further research on cross-cultural consulting are discussed. 
PRESENTER 
Scott Martin received a Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in Sport Psychology in 
August 1995, from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Currently, he is a Lecturer at 
the University of North Texas. Scott has interests in exercise and sport psychology, cross-
cultural studies, and life-span development. 
 
CO-AUTHORS 
Craig A. Wrisberg, University of Tennessee  
 
Pat A. Beitel, University of Tennessee 
 
John W. Lounsbury, University of Tennessee 
 


NCAA Division I Athletes\u27 Perceptions of Psychological Skills and Attitudes Toward Seeking Sport Psychology Consultation

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Different Perspectives on Majority Rules (1996) People of Color in Predominantly White Institutions April 1996 NCAA Division I Athletes' Perceptions of Psychological Skills and Attitudes Toward Seeking Sport Psychology Consultation Scott Martin University of North Texas Craig A. Wrisberg University of Tennessee John W. Lounsbury University of Tennessee Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/pocpwi1st  Part of the Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons Martin, Scott; Wrisberg, Craig A.; and Lounsbury, John W., "NCAA Division I Athletes' Perceptions of Psychological Skills and Attitudes Toward Seeking Sport Psychology Consultation" (1996). Different Perspectives on Majority Rules (1996). 26. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/pocpwi1st/26 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the People of Color in Predominantly White Institutions at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Different Perspectives on Majority Rules (1996) by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. NCAA Division I Athletes' Perceptions of Psychological Skills and Attitudes Toward Seeking Sport Psychology Consultation  Dr. Scott Martin University of North Texas Co-Authors Craig A. Wrisberg University of Tennessee John W. Lounsbury University of Tennessee  Statistically significant differences on the basis of race and gender were found for stigma tolerance, one of three dimensions of athlete attitude variance toward seeking sport psychology consultation.  The major purpose of this study was to develop and standardize a questionnaire to measure athletes' perceptions of psychological skills and their attitudes toward seeking sport psychology consultation. A 50-item questionnaire was developed and administered to 48 African-American (14 female and 34 male) and 177 Caucasian (79 female and 98 male) athletes ranging from 17 to 23 years of age at an NCAA Division I university. Principle components factor analyses were conducted to extract initial factors, followed by varimax orthogonal rotation. The results revealed three dimensions of athlete attitude representing 35% of the variance: stigma tolerance (sport psychology consultation/sociocultural), confidence in sport psychology consultation/recognition of need for sport psychology consultation, and personal openness/openness to sport psychology. A secondary purpose of this study was to determine whether perceptions of psychological skills and/or attitudes toward seeking sport psychology consultation of athletes differed as a function of gender and race. A MANOV A and follow-up univariate analysis were performed on the factors to identify which ones maximized differences among race and gender groups. Factor 1, Stigma Tolerance, was significant for race, E(I, 210)=19.36, 12=.0001, w2=.07; and for gender, E(I, 210)=44.13, 12=.0001, w2=.16. No other significant effects were obtained. However, 2 (Gender) x 2 (Race) ANOV As were performed on each item of the questionnaire which revealed that male athletes exhibited a greater stigma towards sport psychology, whereas, females viewed a sport psychology consultant (SPC) as someone who could help them enhance their athletic performance. Specifically, males would rather have feelings of too much pressure during competition than seek the assistance of an SPC because they felt they would be ridiculed if they had to resort to asking for assistance. Moreover, compared with Caucasian athletes, African-American athletes were less likely to think that an SPC could help them perform better or improve their mental toughness; were more apprehensive about going to an SPC because they feared they would be harassed by teammates or receive a bad reputation; were less likely to self-disclose; were less committed to following the instructions of an SPC; and were more comfortable with an SPC who was of the same race and gender as them. Implications for consultants working with African-American athletes and recommendations for further research on cross-cultural consulting are discussed. PRESENTER Scott Martin received a Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in Sport Psychology in August 1995, from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Currently, he is a Lecturer at the University of North Texas. Scott has interests in exercise and sport psychology, cross-cultural studies, and life-span development.  CO-AUTHORS Craig A. Wrisberg, University of Tennessee   Pat A. Beitel, University of Tennessee  John W. Lounsbury, University of Tennessee  

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NCAA Division I Athletes\u27 Perceptions of Psychological Skills and Attitudes Toward Seeking Sport Psychology Consultation

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