Date of Project

4-7-2026

Document Type

Honors Thesis

School Name

School of Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences

Department

Psychology

Major Advisor

Dr. Jean Lamont

Second Advisor

Dr. Thomas Wojcicki

Abstract

Introduction: Injury and injury-related anxiety are common in collegiate athletes and may contribute to maladaptive psychological and behavioral outcomes, including eating disturbances. This study examined the relationship between injury/injury anxiety and eating disturbances, and whether athletic identity, injury self-efficacy, and body shame moderated this relationship. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used with 57 female collegiate and club athletes from Bellarmine University (M age = 19.98 + 1.37). Participants completed an online survey including the Sport Injury Anxiety Scale (SIAS), Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), Athletic Injury Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (AISEQ), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), and the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (OBC; body shame subscale). Bivariate correlations and moderation analyses were conducted using SPSS Version 29 and PROCESS macro. Results: Injury anxiety was positively correlated with restrictive eating (r = .31, p = .04), but not binge eating. Athletic identity was positively correlated with both restrictive eating (r = .37, p = .01) and binge eating (r = .29, p = .05). Body shame demonstrated strong positive correlations with restrictive eating (r = .67, p < .001) and binge eating (r = .47, p = .001) Injury self-efficacy was not significantly related to eating disturbances. Moderation analyses did not provide support for the hypothesized moderating effects. Conclusion: Findings suggest that injury anxiety, athletic identity, and body shame are important psychological factors associated with eating disturbances in female athletes, particularly restrictive eating behaviors. These results highlight the need for integrated psychological and nutritional support of injured athletes. Future research should utilize larger and more diverse samples and longitudinal designs to further examine those relationships.

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