Erin Reifsteck

Bio & Education

Erin Reifsteck, PhD is the director of the online MS in Sport and Exercise Psychology program and UNCG’s Faculty Fellow for Student Veteran Well-Being. She holds a PhD in Kinesiology (Sport & Exercise Psychology) with a doctoral minor in Educational Research Methodology and a graduate certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies. Prior to joining the kinesiology faculty, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship with the Center for Athlete Well-being. Her research focuses on promoting physical activity and health through sport, military, and life transitions, with an emphasis on translating research into practice. Dr. Reifsteck is a Fellow of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and editorial board member for the Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal.

Courses Taught

• KIN 644 Sport and Exercise Psychology
• KIN 744 Applied Sport Psychology
• KIN 745 Social Psychology and Physical Activity

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• Gill, D. L., Reifsteck, E. J., & Brooks, D. D. (under contract). Psychological dynamics of physical activity, 5th ed. Human Kinetics
• Gill, D. L., Kamphoff, C. C., Reifsteck, E. J., & Brooks, D. D. (in press). Gender, diversity, and cultural competence. In J. Williams and V. Krane (Eds.), Applied sport psychology: Personal growth to peak performance, 9th ed. (pp. xx – xx). McGraw Hill.
• Seo, Y., & Reifsteck, E. J. (in press). Toward a more culturally nuanced approach to assessing athletic and exercise identities in sport psychology research: A confirmatory factor analysis approach with South Korean male student-athletes. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology 
• Borum, K., Reifsteck, E. J., Gill, D. L. (2024). Sport and exercise psychology and women’s sport/physical activity across generations: Perspectives from Pre-Title IX Boomer through Millennial to Post-Title IX Gen Z. Kinesiology Review. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1123/kr.2023-0031
• Maietta, R. C., Reifsteck, E. J., Petruzelli, J., Mihas, P., Swartout, K., & Hamilton, A. B. (2024). Sort and Sift, Think and Shift analysis method. In K. Richards, M. Hemphill, & P. Wright (Eds.), Qualitative research and evaluation in physical education and sport pedagogy (pp. 255– 270). Jones & Bartlett Learning
• Reifsteck, E. J., Hevel, D. J., Anderson, S. N., Rebar, A. L., & Maher, J. P. (2023). Investigating intraindividual variability of psychological needs satisfaction and relations with subsequent physical activity. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 45(3), 166-170. doi: 10.1123/jsep.2022-0140
• Reifsteck, E. J., DeFreese, J. D., Brooks, D. D., Seo, Y., Beisecker, L., Rao, N., Chandran, A. (2023). Call it an “evolution”: Promoting student-athlete well-being during the transition from competitive sport. Journal of Athletic Training, 58(9), 697–703. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-0548.22
• Reifsteck, E. J., Newton, J. D., Smith, M. B., Davis Brooks, D., & Anderson, S. N. (2022). Journey from control to liberation: Exploring student-athletes’ physical activity perceptions and experiences in the transition out of collegiate sport. The Sport Psychologist, 36(1), 1-9. doi: 10.1123/tsp.2020-0169
• Reifsteck, E. J., Anderson, S. N., Newton, J. D., & Maher, J. P. (2021). A practical guide and empirical example for implementing ecological momentary assessment in sport psychology research with athletes. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 10(3), 408-422. doi: 10.1037/spy0000252
• Reifsteck, E. J., Anderson, T., Newton, J. D., Shriver, L. H., & Wideman, L. (2021). Physical activity and health-related changes during transition out of collegiate football: A case series. Journal of Athletic Training, 56(1), 71-76. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-0526.19
• Reifsteck, E. J., Janssen, J. A., & Wideman, L. (2020). Self-reported physical activity patterns of former collegiate student-athletes. Athletic Training and Sports Healthcare, 12(3), 119-126. doi: 10.3928/19425864-20190506-01
• Reifsteck, E. J., Brooks, D. D., Newton, J. D., Shriver, L. H. (2018). Promoting a healthy post-collegiate lifestyle: An evaluation of the Moving On! transition program for student-athletes. Journal of Higher Education and Athletics Innovation, 1(4), 54-76. doi: 10.15763/issn.2376-5267.2018.1.4.54-76
• Reifsteck, E. J. & Brooks, D. D. (2018). A transition program to help student-athletes move on to lifetime physical activity. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 9(1), 21-31. doi: 10.1080/21520704.2017.1303011 
• Reifsteck, E.J., Gill, D.L., & Labban, J.D. (2016). “Athletes” and “Exercisers”: Understanding identity, motivation, and physical activity participation in former college athletes.  Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 5(1),25-38. doi: 10.1037/spy0000046