How U.S. college athletes manage COVID-19 related uncertainty

ABSTRACT

Emerging adulthood is a period rife with uncertainty, even prior to COVID-19. Research suggests college athletes may be better adept at managing COVID-related challenges. Thus, we interviewed 16 U.S. college athletes to better understand their experiences related to uncertainty and uncertainty management. We found college athletes, who had to balance both academics and sports, experienced uncertainty related to health, academics, interpersonal relationships, and careers. Using the lens of uncertainty management theory (UMT), we found most college athletes viewed uncertainty negatively, attempting to reduce it via seeking social support and information, establishing schedules, and protecting against COVID. However, others learned to adapt to ambiguity by controlling what they could control and focusing on COVID’s positives. By adapting, college athletes were able to build resilience, informing strategies other emerging adults can use not only to navigate a global pandemic, but the unexpected challenges and adversity inherent in emerging adulthood.

KEYWORDS:

• Uncertainty management
• U.S. college athletes
• COVID-19
• interviews

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lynsey K. Romo

Lynsey K. Romo. (University of Texas-Austin) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at North Carolina State University. Her research examines how people talk about uncomfortable issues, specifically pertaining to health and finances. Dr. Romo has explored what motivates people to disclose taboo topics (e.g., salary) or stigmatized traits (e.g., abstaining from alcohol, being in recovery for substance misuse) and how individuals manage uncertainty surrounding their physical, social, and economic well-being. She also uncovers how couples can effectively motivate one another to engage in healthier eating and exercise behaviors, how people can communicatively manage interpersonal challenges to losing and maintaining weight, and how collegiate student athletes can negotiate stressors and ambiguity.

Jenna Abetz

Jenna Abetz. (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the College of Charleston. Her research focuses on communication within and about interpersonal and family relationships. Informed by qualitative and critical approaches to communication, she explores how individuals construct, make sense of, and negotiate identity during periods of relational transition or contestation. This work has included analyses of emerging adulthood, motherhood, parent-child estrangement, divorce, dual-career couples, and financial uncertainty. She seeks to conduct socially-meaningful, translational work that has practical applications for family relationships.