Coaching Under Stress and Burnout

This chapter will explore stress and burnout in the context of sports coaching. First, an effort will be made to provide some conceptual clarity in defining the stress, burnout, and related terms, and in exploring the multiple and often overlapping, theoretical perspectives underpinning coach stress and burnout research. The coach stress literature that has examined stressors, coping methods, and the impacts of coach stress will be critically discussed, and relationships between stress, burnout, and coach well-being/ill-being will also be highlighted. Avenues for future coaching research related to stress, burnout, and well-being will be outlined, and practical implications for coaches, coach educators, and other key stakeholders are also provided. More specifically, existing research reveals a real need to place coach well-being at the forefront of the coaching agenda by coach educators and developers, and this chapter will conclude by suggesting potential strategies for promoting coach well-being in various high-performance and developmental contexts

A qualitative analysis of Swedish sport psychology practitioners’ experience of a continued professional development program

Although sport psychology practitioners and researchers acknowledge the importance of continued professional development (CPD) for professional effectiveness and excellence, few studies have explored the influence of CPD activities on the practitioners' practice and thinking. This study examined qualified Swedish sport psychology practitioners' experiences of engaging in a CPD program and how it impacted their professional development. The Swedish Sports Confederation offers a CPD program that targets performance enhancement services and psychotherapy for sport psychology practitioners. We explored the influence of this CPD program on the professional development of 13 graduates (five females; age in years: M = 41.2, SD = 8.3) via semi-structured interviews. Our stance involved a realist ontology and constructionist epistemology. We followed the six-step Reflexive Thematic Analysis procedures to analyze data. We identified four themes of CPD: (1) Critique (participants decided to do the CPD program because of perceived gaps in their knowledge and skills), (2) Change (participants discussed several changes as a result of the CPD program), (3) Context (participants discussed the aspects of the CPD program that promoted change), and (4) Challenge (participants mentioned issues related to having completed the program). The study provides insights into the value of CPD activities for sport psychology practitioners, advances current knowledge on practitioner maturation, and illustrates how CPD fits within a practitioner's lifelong learning. Future research could investigate the professional development of mid-career sport psychology practitioners engaging in other CPD programs to confirm or extend this work

Understanding exercise addiction, psychiatric characteristics and use of anabolic androgenic steroids among recreational athletes – An online survey study

BackgroundThe purpose of this paper was to explore maladaptive behaviors among physically active individuals, including exercise dependence and use of anabolic steroids. Both exercise addiction (EA) and use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) correlate to high amounts of exercise and EA have been linked to eating disorders and other mental health problems. MethodsAn internet survey was spread through fitness-related social media. Inclusion criteria were age >= 15 years and exercise frequency >= thrice weekly. Exercise addiction inventory identified those at-risk of EA (rEA). Characteristics of rEA were compared to those not at risk. In a separate analysis, AAS users were compared to AAS-naive individuals. ResultsIn total, 3,029 participants completed the questionnaire. Of these, 11% screened positive for being rEA, and 23% for ED. Factors associated with EA included daily exercise, social phobia, eating disorders and OCD. Risk consumption of alcohol was a negative predictor. Thirty seven participants had taken AAS the last year. These were mainly men, bodybuilders/powerlifters and more often used amphetamines and opioids. DiscussionThis exploratory study supports EA being strongly associated with eating disorders. Identified associations between EA and compulsive or anxiety disorders warrant further research to clarify if these associations arise prior to, together with, or secondary to EA

Six-month stability of individual differences in sports coaches’ burnout, self-compassion and social support

Using a three-wave prospective cross-lagged panel design, the study examined six-month stability of burnout, self-compassion and social support among sports coaches in terms of measurement invariance, mean-level change, rank-order stability, and structural stability. The participating coaches (N = 422; Mage = 44.48, SD = 11.03) completed an online questionnaire measuring self-compassion, social support, coach burnout and de- mographics at baseline and two follow-ups at three months and six months. The various forms of stability were assessed using structural equation modeling. There was no significant mean-level change in burnout, self- compassion, or social support, and all three constructs exhibited measurement invariance. Rank-order stability remained relatively high, ranging from 0.78 to 0.94 across the three time points. For all three constructs, co- variances between latent factors were invariant over time, indicating high structural stability. While self- compassion and social support were positively related, both were negatively related to coach burnout. These results confirm the importance of preventing and addressing symptoms of burnout, low self-compassion and poor social support in sports settings

Position Paper: Rationale for a Focused Attention on Mental Health of High-Performance Sports Coaches

High-performance (HP) coaching has been described as “a complex, social, and dynamic activity that is not easily represented as a set of tangible and predictable processes.” Coaches are not only responsible for extensive planning, monitoring, and leadership in a dynamic and complex environment but also have responsibility for supporting athlete development and safeguarding their athletes’ overall health, well-being, and psychological and physiological safety. However, HP coaching is often considered an unsustainable profession, due to the levels of stress and subsequent mental health challenges that are frequently part of the role. Therefore, this position paper will focus on the concerns, challenges, and resources needed to prevent and manage mental ill-being and support the mental well-being of sport coaching professionals in HP sport, and provide recommendations for individuals, systems, and organizations that work with HP sport coaches

Vem bryr sig om coachen?

Idrottare påverkas negativt av en stressad och utmattad coach. Trots det negligeras oftast coachens situation. Allt fokus riktas i regel mot idrottarens välbefinnande. Det här är ett upprop till praktiknära forskning för att belysa elitcoachens arbetssituation med avseende på hur graden av välbefinnande påverkar coachens förmåga

Den deprimerade olympiern

På ytan är elitidrottare framgångsrika, vältränade och gör fantastiska idrottsliga prestationer. De betraktas som vinnarskallar, mentalt tuffa och osårbara. Men verkligheten är ofta en annan. Depression, ångest, träningsberoende och ätstörningar är vanliga psykiska problem

Närvarande i avgörandet

Avgörandets stund är fyllt av obehagliga känslor för många elitidrottare. En normal reaktion är att försöka undvika känslorna. Den som istället systematisk tränar medveten närvaro ökar förmågan att vara bäst när det gäller trots en stark oro och ångest

Närvarande i avgörandet

Avgörandets stund är fyllt av obehagliga känslor för många elitidrottare. En normal reaktion är att försöka undvika känslorna. Den som istället systematisk tränar medveten närvaro ökar förmågan att vara bäst när det gäller trots en stark oro och ångest

Elitens osynliga ohälsa

Cirka 30 procent av svenska elitidrottare har upplevt psykisk ohälsa under karriären, visar ny forskning. Elitidrottare lider sannolikt av psykisk ohälsa i samma eller något högre grad än normalbefolkningen. De som drabbas lider ofta i det tysta och avstår dessutom från söka hjälp för sina problem