Introduction: Recent research has indicated that professional athletes have a comparable or elevated prevalence of mental health difficulties in comparison to the general population. Despite this, there is a paucity of high-quality research within the area with the majority of studies being of a cross-sectional nature focussing on prevalence rates. Whilst there is a growing evidence base, there is limited knowledge regarding the specific sporting factors that may have an impact on the mood of male professional athletes and the processes by which these difficulties are caused.
Method: A qualitative methodology was adopted in which 9 professional athletes were interviewed using a semi-structured interview format. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Results: Four themes were developed from the participants’ experiences of the sporting environment and the factors that had an impact on their mood. The super-ordinate themes were: ‘Sport is everything’, ‘Uncertainty about selection’, ‘Loss’, and ‘Masculinity’. A further eleven sub-themes were also outlined. The super-ordinate theme of ‘Uncertainty about selection’ covers the specific factors related to the sporting environment that may have an impact on the participants’ mood such as injury, performance and coaching relationships. The super-ordinate theme of ‘Loss’ explores the underlying reasons that these sporting factors may cause an impact on mood, such as a loss of identity, loss of emotional reward and social life, and loss of financial incentives. In addition, the super-ordinate theme of ‘Masculinity’ outlines the way that the participants express and manage this impact on mood.
Discussion: The results from this study are related to the wider research and clinical literature, including role identity theory and the masculinity literature. The strengths and limitations of this study, clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed
