Life After Sport: Development and evaluation of an occupational therapy-based athletic retirement program for collegiate football student-athletes

Background: Studies have shown that athletic retirement is a significant life transition for collegiate student-athletes with physical, mental, and occupational health implications that can last for years after departure from sport. Athletic retirement programming has been identified as an effective method to support athletes throughout this transition, however, less than half of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions currently provide this programming, indicating a gap in service provision that may be efficiently addressed through occupational therapy (OT)-based services. Objective: To develop and evaluate an athletic retirement transition program for collegiate football student-athletes at Georgia State University (GSU). ACOTE Area: This project aims to satisfy the requirements of the OT doctoral capstone experience set by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) by providing the capstone student with exposure to OT program development and evaluation. Methods: Following a comprehensive literature review and needs assessment completed with the GSU football student-athletes and staff, a 12-session program was created to address the most common areas of concern surrounding the transition. Five of those sessions were selected to be implemented and evaluated through a pilot program conducted with juniors and seniors on the GSU football team. Surveys were distributed to program participants before the program, after the program, and after each session, to report perceptions of athletic retirement and the pilot program. Participants also completed a focus group to verbally share opinions, while the Director of Player Development and Community Outreach at GSU football was interviewed to determine the impact of the pilot program and overall feasibility for future implementation. The results of the evaluation were then used to refine the final program. Results: A 12-session program was created, including a program guide, 12 session guides, and associated materials. The pilot program was completed and evaluated with seven participants, finding statistically significant differences in participants’ understanding of athletic retirement and perceived need for programming, but not in preparedness for the transition. The evaluation also found that participants reported significant amounts of satisfaction with the program format and overall experience of each session, indicating high likelihood for future implementation of the program. Conclusions and Relevance: The pilot program was found to be feasible for implementation with collegiate student-athletes, and significantly improved participants’ understanding of athletic retirement, helping them develop self-awareness regarding the need to prepare for the transition. Therefore, this project helps to provide evidence for the feasibility and benefit of OT interventions with the population of collegiate student-athletes. However, additional research is needed to determine the impact of the full program and prove efficacy of OT interventions with this population.