A longitudinal examination of stressors, appraisals, and coping in youth swimming

View/ open
Author
Hayward, Francesca
Knight, Camilla
Mellalieu, Stephen D.
Date
2016-12-06Acceptance date
2016-12-02
Type
Article
Publisher
Elsevier
ISSN
1469-0292
1878-5476 (ESSN)
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Purpose
Involvement in sport has the potential to cause athletes, coaches, and parents to experience stress. However, the extent to which experiences of stress are shared within the athletic triad is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the individual and shared stress experiences among youth swimmers, their mothers, and coach within the context of training, tapering, and competition.
Design
Multi-case study design.
Method
Four female swimmers, their mother, and one coach completed daily diaries for six weeks and up to three semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed through within- and cross-case thematic analysis.
Results
The study showed evidence of shared stress experiences between all three members of the athletic triad. Participants predominately encountered organizational stressors, which they appraised in relation to movements between squad, interpersonal relationships, and overall progress towards performance goals/outcomes. Numerous coping strategies were employed by participants, with varying degrees of effectiveness, such as seeking social support, distancing, and lift sharing. The coping strategies used by coaches, swimmers, and parents were often interrelated with participants frequently seeking emotional support from one another. The majority of stressors and appraisals cited by parents and swimmers were shared, with both heavily relying on social support to help each other cope with the stressors encountered.
Conclusion
Athletes, parents, and coaches have the capacity to influence one another's stress experiences and as such their experiences should be considered simultaneously to maximize the impact of interventions.
Journal/conference proceeding
Psychology of Sport and Exercise;
Citation
Hayward, F.P., Knight, C.J. and Mellalieu, S.D. (2017) 'A longitudinal examination of stressors, appraisals, and coping in youth swimming', Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 29, pp.56-68.
Description
This article was published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise on 06 December 2016 (online), available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2016.12.002
Sponsorship
Cardiff Metropolitan University (Grant ID: Cardiff Metropolian (Internal))
Collections
- Sport Research Groups [1088]
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, subject and abstract.
-
The Impact of Stress on Sports Coaching: Sources and Coping Strategies in Non-Elite Coaches.
Rees, Kelsey (University of Wales Institute Cardiff, 2011)If we are to improve coaching and reduce the likelihood of the negative psychological effects of stress then we need a better understanding of the way in which stress is experienced by coaches’. Consequently, the aims of ... -
Sources of stress in the competition environment: comparison of elite and non-elite athletes
Gregory, Simon (University of Wales, 2011)Stress continues to be a prominent and widely discussed factor within the sporting context. It is consistently acknowledged that performers encounter different sources of stress both inside and outside of sport, and the ... -
POWER AND THE COACH ATHLETE RELATIONSHIP
Banfield, Christopher (University of Wales Institute Cardiff, 2012)The overall purpose of this study is to critically evaluate the role of disciplinary power in the coach/athlete relationship which is considered to be the most relevant theory to use in the research because it relates best ...