Effects of Sports Outcomes on Student-Athletes' Stress Biomarkers and Scholastic Performance
Abstract
The winner effect occurs when the probability of continuing to win increases after winning one game; it has also been shown to involve changes in the hormones and behaviors of winners and losers. Our poster outlines a new research program that we predict will test how winner effects influence stress and academic performance in student-athletes. We present lab validation of qPCR assays of a stressassociated biomarker (mitochondrial DNA copy number; mtDNA-CN), alongside a qualitative survey we developed to give athletes before and after each game. We predict that mtDNA-CN will covary with the recent game outcome(s), and that wins will be associated with higher self-reported scholastic confidence and satisfaction among focal studentathletes. The intended subjects of this study would include Division II collegiate athletes from a university in South Florida, with our initial validation focused on test material from members of our research team. The goals of this study are to understand and increase synergy between competitive sports participation and scholarship within student-athletes, while developing novel biomolecular tools for more general use in studying undergraduate populations.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Eben Gering, Dr. Andrew Ozga
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-5-2023 12:00 PM
End Date
4-6-2023 4:00 PM
Effects of Sports Outcomes on Student-Athletes' Stress Biomarkers and Scholastic Performance
Alvin Sherman Library
The winner effect occurs when the probability of continuing to win increases after winning one game; it has also been shown to involve changes in the hormones and behaviors of winners and losers. Our poster outlines a new research program that we predict will test how winner effects influence stress and academic performance in student-athletes. We present lab validation of qPCR assays of a stressassociated biomarker (mitochondrial DNA copy number; mtDNA-CN), alongside a qualitative survey we developed to give athletes before and after each game. We predict that mtDNA-CN will covary with the recent game outcome(s), and that wins will be associated with higher self-reported scholastic confidence and satisfaction among focal studentathletes. The intended subjects of this study would include Division II collegiate athletes from a university in South Florida, with our initial validation focused on test material from members of our research team. The goals of this study are to understand and increase synergy between competitive sports participation and scholarship within student-athletes, while developing novel biomolecular tools for more general use in studying undergraduate populations.
