Stable or Fluid? An Investigation Into Female Student Athlete Basketball Players’ Well-Being

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in female student athlete basketball players’ well-being over time. Eleven female student athlete basketball players completed the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale—Short Form (WEMWBS-SF) every week for 22 consecutive weeks. Differences in well-being (p = .027; ) were found across time with the magnitude of weekly changes in WEMWBS-SF scores ranging between trivial and large. Magnitude-based differences highlighted individual variability, with five (45.45%) athletes very likely reporting increased well-being over time. It is evident that the well-being of female student athletes could be improved given the interpretation of aggregate scores, combined with joint consideration of the individual trajectories, reported in this study. Future work examining environmental factors with logical and practical links to well-being seems necessary to support female student athletes.