Relations Among Locus of Control, Religiosity, and Resiliency in Collegiate Football Players

Resiliency in athletes is related to effective coping strategies. Expectedly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, this attribute was highlighted in collegiate football players. To date, the relations among locus of control (LOC), strength of religious beliefs (i.e., religiosity), and resiliency in collegiate football players have not been explored in the literature. Exploring the relation of LOC and religious beliefs to resiliency may shed light on avenues to foster resiliency in football players, which in turn can determine players’ behaviors, performance, and actions during adverse times. The purpose of this study was to gain a more in-depth understanding of the relations among LOC, religiosity, and resiliency in NCAA Division II football players at a public university located in the southwestern United States. A structured online survey containing the Rotter’s Locus of Control Scale (Rotter in Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 80(1), 1–28, 1966), the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (Plante & Boccaccini in Pastoral Psychology, 45(6), 429–437, 1997), and the Conner Davidson Resilience Scale (Connor & Davidson in Depression and Anxiety, 18(2), 76–82, 2003) was completed by 91 Division II football players. Statistically significant correlations were found between LOC and resiliency (r = −.42) as well as religiosity and resiliency (r = .26). Regression analysis indicated, on average, that football players with greater internal LOC and higher strength of religious beliefs had a higher level of resiliency than players with higher external LOC and lower strength of religious beliefs.