Date of Award

2016

Publisher

North Dakota State University

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Awarded

Master of Science (MS)

Program

Advanced Athletic Training

Department

Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences

College

Human Sciences and Education

Faculty Advisor

David, Shannon

Description

Athletic trainers commonly work with athletes of the opposite gender yet it is not fully understood if gender may influence these interactions. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent that gender influences comfort, communication, and trust in the athlete and athletic trainer relationship. A 26-item survey containing Likert based questions and open-ended and a trust instrument were distributed in athletic training rooms to analyze comfort, communication, and trust. Comfort, communication, and trust were significantly lower when working with athletic trainers of the opposite gender. Athletes reported trust and communication as the most valued aspect of the relationship with their athletic trainer. Despite lower perceived scores, 150 out of 178 participants reported no preference for the gender of their athletic trainer. Athletic trainers should understand that athletes may experience a decrease in comfort, communication, and trust when working with athletic trainers of the opposite gender. Key Words: Comfort, Trust, Communication, Athletic Trainer

Rights

NDSU Policy 190.6.2

Rights Link

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf

Handle Identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/10365/27979

Download

Share

COinS