The associations among social support, stress, and life satisfaction as perceived by injured college athletes

The relationships were examined among severity of injury, and participants’ perceptions of stress, social support, and life satisfaction. Participants were 123 college athletes (male, n = 69, female n = 54) with minor (69) or severe (54) injuries, who ranged in age from 18 to 25 years. Participants completed measures of perceived social support, stress, and satisfaction with life. Greater perceived stress was associated with diminished life satisfaction for athletes with a major injury more than for those with a minor injury. The interaction between perceived stress and perceived social support was associated most with diminished life satisfaction for participants with a major injury.