Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Morrison, Patricia

Area of Concentration

Psychology

Abstract

The shift from collegiate athletics to working life is a significant growth challenge that could affect mental health and professional adaptation. The current study investigated the connections between mental health, workplace adaptation and transferable athletics skills. It also explored whether workplace adaptation mediates the relationship between transferable skills and well-being. An Online survey measuring transferable skills, workplace adjustment and mental health was completed by 181 current and past collegiate student-athletes. The findings showed that workplace adaptation was positively associated with mental health and that transferable skills were significantly correlated with workplace adaptation. The relationship between transferable skills and mental health was explained by workplace adaptation, according to mediation analyses, indicating that the advantage of athletic skills rely on effective use in professional settings. These results were also supported by qualitative research that emphasized themes of discipline, teamwork, resilience, and difficulties with identity transformation. Such outcomes highlighted how critical it is to assist student-athletes in applying their abilities in a professional setting in order to facilitate both psychological health and effective career adjustment.

Rights

The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.

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