ABSTRACTDETERMINING WHAT FACTORS CAUSE STRESS AND ANXIETY IN FIRST YEAR GRADUATE ASSISTANT ATHLETIC TRAINING STUDENTS.ByChristine MayorosPurpose: This study examined what factors cause the most stress and anxiety in first and second year graduate assistant athletic trainers. Methods: A survey containing demographics, the Perceived Stress Scale, and an anxiety survey were distributed to 555 members of the National Athletic Trainers' Association in the "student-certified" category. Results: Results found that "new environment" and "transitioning from athletic training student to certified athletic trainer" were the main causes of stress and anxiety to graduate assistant athletic trainers. No significant differences in levels of stress or anxiety were found between first and second year athletic trainers. Graduate assistant athletic trainers did not rate their graduate institution's orientation to the highest success level. Conclusion: This study concluded that graduate assistant athletic trainers' highest levels of stress and anxiety were caused by new environment and transitioning from athletic training student to certified athletic trainer. Graduate institutions show some room for improvement with orientating graduate assistants to their new institution. Athletic training education programs (ATEP) can start this transitioning process late in undergraduate education by letting students complete duties in unsupervised, low risk, situations or graduate institutions can act as mentors and visit graduate assistant athletic trainers at their clinical sites in the beginning of their assistantship.
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