Varsity athletes' fitness perceptions, fitness-related self-conscious emotions and depression when sidelined from play.

Objective: Explore the association between varsity athletes' fitness perceptions and symptoms of depression while sidelined from sport for an extended period, and test whether fitness-related self-conscious emotions (i.e., shame, guilt, authentic pride, and hubristic pride) mediate this relationship.
Participants: Varsity athletes (N = 124) from a large university in Canada where sports had been restricted for the past year due to the pandemic.
Method: Participants completed a cross-sectional self-report survey. Regression analyses testing mediation (i.e., direct and indirect effects) were used to explore the main research aim.
Results: Controlling for age and gender, separate models demonstrated significant indirect effects of fitness perceptions on depression symptoms through shame, guilt, and authentic pride, but not through hubristic pride.
Conclusion: Self-conscious emotions may be used as a tool to mitigate depression symptoms when varsity athletes are sidelined from sport for an extended period. Further research is needed to understand how self-conscious emotions develop when athletes are injured or retired.