Transitioning Into The Competitive Season: Effects On Quality Of Life In Collegiate Basketball Players

Research has shown that while overall quality of life (QoL) is stable across a competitive season, specific domains may change. There is limited research examining how specific domains of QoL change as players transition into a competitive season and how sex may affect this. As perceived QoL may influence sport performance and overall wellbeing, it is beneficial to understand how QoL domains may be impacted as a competitive season begins. PURPOSE: To determine changes in domain-specific QoL in male and female collegiate basketball players from pre-season to in-season. METHODS: Twelve basketball players (7 female) completed a 32-item QoL survey 3 weeks prior to the beginning of the competitive season (PS) and 2 weeks after its onset (IS). Three QoL domains pertinent to student-athletes - emotional (E-QoL), cognitive (C-QoL), and physical (P-QoL) - were analyzed. Mixed model ANOVAs were used to test for differences over time between the sexes (α = 0.05). RESULTS: There was no significant sex x time interaction for E-QoL (p = 0.41) and no main effect of time (p = 0.98) or sex (p = 0.12). There was no significant interaction for C-QoL (p = 0.90) and no main effect of time (p = 0.90) or sex (p = 0.79) . Likewise, there was no significant interaction for P-QoL (p = 0.92) and no main effect of time (p = 0.92) or sex (p = 0.90). Data are shown in Table 1. CONCLUSIONS: Despite increased demands associated with competition, perceived QoL in emotional, cognitive, and physical domains were stable during the transition with no difference between sexes. Future research will examine if these domains change over the remaining 4-month competitive season. This information may help identify critical times to focus on holistic wellness in the student-athlete. Table 1 - Measure Sex Pre-Season In-Season E-QoL F 18.14 + 2.41 18.71 + 3.04 M 21.00 + 1.41 20.40 + 2.88 C-QoL F 20.14 + 3.02 20.10 + 3.39 M 19.80 + 3.42 19.60 + 1.52 P-QoL F 21.29 + 2.50 21.14 + 4.06 M 21.00 + 2.45 21.00 + 2.55