Abstract details
| Abstract-ID: | 2174 |
| Title of the paper: | From the Court to the Crossroads: How Identity Status Shapes Career Uncertainty among Collegiate Athletes |
| Authors: | CHEN, Y., Chen, M. Y.;Chan, C. C. |
| Institution: | National Taiwan University |
| Department: | Department of Athletics |
| Country: | Taiwan |
| Abstract text | Introduction:Collegiate athletes must simultaneously manage academic responsibilities and athletic training, often experiencing dual pressures related to career exploration and competitive performance. Identity status has been recognized as an important psychological factor associated with career development, and may be closely linked to athletes’ career uncertainty. However, limited research has examined the underlying psychological mechanisms through which identity status shapes career uncertainty among collegiate athletes. Drawing on career construction theory, this study investigates whether career adaptability mediates the relationship between identity status and career uncertainty, and further explores whether future work self moderates the relationship between career adaptability and career uncertainty. Methods:Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 224 collegiate athletes. The PROCESS macro was applied to test the proposed mediation and moderation effects (Model 4 and Model 1), using 5,000 bootstrap resamples to estimate indirect and interaction effects. Age was included as a control variable in all analyses. Results:The results indicated that identity status was indirectly associated with career uncertainty through the mediating effect of career adaptability. Specifically, athletes with more mature identity status reported higher career adaptability, which in turn predicted lower levels of career uncertainty. In addition, future work self significantly moderated the relationship between career adaptability and career uncertainty, such that the negative association between career adaptability and career uncertainty was stronger among athletes with higher future work self. Discussion:These findings highlight the importance of identity development in shaping collegiate athletes’ career construction process. By identifying career adaptability as a key psychological mechanism, this study extends the literature on athlete career development and provides empirical support for career construction theory in the athletic context. Moreover, the moderating role of future work self suggests that athletes who hold clearer and more salient future work self-concepts are better able to translate career adaptability into reduced career uncertainty. Practically, these results imply that career counseling and athlete development programs should incorporate identity exploration interventions, strengthen career adaptability resources, and enhance future work self to support athletes’ career transitions and psychological well-being. Future research should further examine longitudinal processes and contextual factors influencing athletes’ identity-based career development. |
| Topic: | Psychology |
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