This study examined the impact of psychological contract breach in intercollegiate student-athletes. Using Rousseau‟s (1995) definition of psychological contracts, and Morrison and Robinson‟s (1997) definitions of psychological breach and psychological contract violation, a model of psychological contract breach in student-athletes was developed. The model was tested using a sample of student-athletes from three NCAA Division I institutions.
Data collection was conducted using a convenience sampling method. A questionnaire was developed and distributed with the cooperation of the participating universities. A sample n of 192 was obtained and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to interpret the results and determine the overall fit of the model. The results indicated that psychological contract breach has a direct effect on the development of psychological contract violation and a direct negative effect on student-athletes‟ trust in their coaches. The trust variable was found to act as a mediator in the model between psychological contract breach and student-athlete attitudes. Individual effectiveness of student-athletes was found to be directly impacted by student-athlete attitudes. An analysis of the results indicated that the number of opportunities student-athletes had to attend other institutions and the length of time a student-athlete had been on their team affected the likelihood that a perceived breach of the psychological contract will occur. A discussion of the results includes practical applications of the results for coaches, athletic departments and student-athletes, as well as recommendations for future research.