Measuring Psychological Load in Sport

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Author
Mellalieu, Stephen D.
Jones, Christopher
Wagstaff, Christopher
Kemp, Simon P.T.
Cross, Matthew
Date
2021-04-16Acceptance date
2021-03-04
Type
Article
Publisher
Thieme
ISSN
0172-4622
1439-3964 (electronic)
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Monitoring the physical load undertaken by athletes and examining the subsequent relationship with performance and injury and illness risk is common practice in high performance sport. Less attention has been paid to the psychological factors contributing to the overall load experienced and the impact upon health status and performance. This paper discusses considerations for the conceptualisation and measurement of psychological load in sport. First, we out line the importance of ensuring conceptual clarity is adopted in the measurement of psychological load. Next, we discuss the challenges to measuring psychological load in a comparable manner to which physical load is currently evaluated, including use of subjective assessment, adoption of specific and global approaches, and development of measurement instrumentation, techniques, and expertise. We then offer recommendations for practitioners when undertaking assessment of psychological load in sport. We conclude with future research directions to advance the study and measurement of the construct, including the interaction between psychological and physical load, the appraisal of the load faced and personal and social resources available to successfully cope. We also highlight the need to consider groups of athletes (e.g., transitioning athlete, long-term injured) at greater risk from threats to mental and physical health from increased psychological load.
Journal/conference proceeding
International Journal of Sports Medicine;
Citation
Mellalieu, S. D., Jones, C., Wagstaff, C. R. D., Kemp, S. P. T., & Cross, M. (2021) 'Measuring psychological load in sport', International Journal of Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1446-9642
Description
Article published in International Journal of Sports Medicine available at https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1446-9642
Sponsorship
Cardiff Metropolitan University (Grant ID: Cardiff Metropolian (Internal))
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