Abstract
Role conflict is prevalent for college athletes across varying competitive levels, sport types, and identities. Recent reform to the collegiate athletic model, such as enabling college athletes (CAs) to profit from their Name, Image, and Likeness, may create additional demands and conflicts for participants. Despite the plethora of research into college athletes’ experiences with role conflict, few studies examine possible solutions. This study offers a novel intervention to role conflict through a community engagement (CE) program. Short, immersive, contributions to one’s local environment can improve social connections, limit negative mental health effects, and generate a higher sense of purpose, all of which can mitigate role conflict, but have yet to be empirically verified with CAs. Insights from a larger Participatory Action Research (PAR) study are shared to offer a theory-informed approach to initiate CE in college sports. The PAR established relationships between a DI athletic department and a local chapter of the Special Olympics (SO). Findings indicate the potential for CE to reduce role conflict for CAs. In this new era of college sports wherein athletes and departments are seeking new compensation forms and models of support, we argue CE creates generative roles and experiences to better integrate academic, athletic, and employment settings.
Recommended Citation
Fetherstonhaugh, Grace and Hextrum, Kirsten
(2025)
"From Isolation to Integration: The Influence of Community Engagement with Special Olympics on NCAA Athletes Experiencing Role Conflict,"
Journal of Athlete Development and Experience: Vol. 7:
Iss.
3, Article 2.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/jade/vol7/iss3/2
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
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