Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Competitiveness and Adjustment Among Athletically Identified College Students (Report‪)‬

Introduction Interest in college students' health and activity are important topics as they relate to well-being and adjustment (Montgomery & Cote, 2003). One activity that now holds value for many students is athletics. Although interest in athletics has historically involved men more than women, since Title IX, an increasing number of women have valued athletics in their lives (Gill, 2001). Researchers have wondered about the potential health and performance outcomes for older adolescents who value athletics and/or compete (Carodine, Almond, & Gratto, 2001; Fletcher, Benshoff, & Richburg, 2003; Weiss, 2004). Steiner and colleagues (2000), for example, found evidence of increased mental health benefits (as measured by a general measure of psychological health) among high school students. Further, Melendez (2006) found that athletic participation was related to academic and institutional adjustment is a sample of college students. The former, however, did not examine gender differences and neither study assessed the impact of enjoying competition on psychological functioning. We address these issues by assessing men's and women's enjoyment of competition, sport-specific and general anxiety, perfectionism and depression in a sample of students who report that athletics is important to them. Particularly since it has been found that whether an individual succeeds or fails at activities important to them can produce significant variation in self esteem (Crocker, Sommers, & Luhtanen, 2002; Crocker, Karpinski, Quinn, & Chase, 2003).