title: National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I football players' perceptions of women in the athletic training room using a role congruity framework.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous researchers have demonstrated that male and female athletes feel more comfortable with treatment by a same-sex athletic trainer for sex-specific injuries and conditions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To address football players' comfort with care provided by same-sex and opposite-sex athletic trainers for sex-specific and non-sex-specific injuries and conditions through the lens of role congruity theory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study for the quantitative data and qualitative study for the qualitative data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Series university football programs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male football players within the 2 university programs.
  
  
  METHODS
  We replicated existing methods and an existing survey to address male football players' comfort levels. Additionally, an open-ended question was used to determine male football players' perceptions of female athletic trainers. Paired-samples t tests were conducted to identify differences between the responses for the care given by a male athletic trainer and for the care given by a female athletic trainer. Three categories were analyzed: general medical conditions, psychological conditions, and sex-specific injuries. The qualitative data were coded and analyzed using content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Male football players were more comfortable with treatment by a male athletic trainer (mean = 3.61 +/- 1.16) for sex-specific injuries and conditions than they were with treatment by a female athletic trainer (mean = 2.82 +/- 1.27; P < .001). No significant results were found for comfort with overall psychological conditions, although a female athletic trainer was preferred over a male athletic trainer for the treatment of depression (mean = 3.71 +/- 1.07 versus mean = 3.39 +/- 1.16, respectively; P < .001). Qualitative data provided support for role congruity theory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both quantitative and qualitative evidence were provided for the support of role congruity theory.
authors.affiliation: North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
authors.forename: Caitlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Grappendorf
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.forename: Sandra M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Harmon
authors.forename: Angela C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D005538:Football / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005783:Gender Identity; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011582:Psychological Theory; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012933:Social Identification; D012938:Social Perception; D013178:Sports Medicine; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult