Exploring athletes’ perceptions of coach stress in elite sport environments
Open accessAbstract
The present study aimed to extend research that has focused on the identification of stressors associated with coaching practice by systematically evaluating how such stressors effect athletes, and more broadly, the coach-athlete relationship. A total of 13 professional- and national-level athletes were interviewed to address the three study aims: how they detect when a coach is encountering stressors, how coach experiences of stress effects them as an athlete, and how effective the coach is when experiencing stress. Following content analysis, the data suggested athletes were able to detect when a coach was experiencing stress and this was typically via a variety of verbal and behavioural cues. Despite some positive effects of the coach experiencing stress, the majority were negative and varied across a range of personal influences on the athlete, and effects on the general coaching environment. It was also the broad view of the athletes that coaches were less effective when stressed, and this was reflected in performance expectations, perceptions of competence, and lack of awareness. The findings are discussed in relation to the existing theory and with reference to their implications for applied practice, future research, and development of the coach-athlete relationship.
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Coaches play a role in cultivating an organisational or team environment that facilitates optimal wellbeing.
“given these individuals hold prominent leadership roles, coaches play a role in cultivating an organisational or team environment that facilitates optimal wellbeing [25].”
From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [25]
The introduction (p. 4) says coaches influence athlete well-being and the organisation, while the Discussion (p. 21) describes effects of coach stress on the training, competitive and organisational environments. These passages support coaches’ role in shaping the environment, but the paper does not establish that they cultivate an environment that facilitates optimal well-being. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredStress was also found to shape an athlete's psychological/emotional state, standard of performance and behaviour.
“In addition, stress was also found to shape an athlete’s psychological/emotional state (e.g. confidence), standard of performance (e.g. development) and behaviour (e.g. increased introversion).”
From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [25]
The Effects of coach stress on athletes section (pp. 13, 15) reports reduced confidence and perceived effects on competitive and training performance; the Discussion (p. 21) also describes effects on athletes’ emotions, thoughts and behaviours. These passages support the broad claim, but do not establish the sentence’s specific examples of affected development or increased introversion. (LLM, conf=0.83)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA coach's experience of stress could impact a coach's psychological/emotional state, standard of performance and coaching style.
“Based on the findings, it was suggested that a coach's experience of stress could impact a coach’s psychological/emotional state (e.g. emotional regulation), standard of performance (e.g. organisational skills) and coaching style (e.g. changes in body language).”
From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [25]
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References 49 · Cited by 85
- Authors
- Thelwell, R. C., Wagstaff, C. R. D., Rayner, A., Chapman, M., & Barker, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Portsmouth (GB)
- University of Staffordshire (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Thelwell, Richard C.
- Venue
- Journal of Sports Sciences
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-03-02
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 44-55
- ISSN
- 0264-0414 (ISSN-L)
- 1466-447X
- OpenAlex
- W2288522894
- Cited by
- 85
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 3
- FWCI
- 14.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- dspace.lboro.ac.uk
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- Locations
- Journal of Sports Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Staffordshire Online Repository (Staffordshire University) (acceptedVersion)
- Loughborough University Institutional Repository (Loughborough University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Loughborough University Research Repository (Loughborough University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Sports and Physical Education Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
- Keywords
- coach stress, coach-athlete relationship, athlete perceptions, elite sport, coaching effectiveness, performance expectations, coaching environment
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Attitude, Awareness, Cues, Female, Football, Hockey, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Professional Competence, Soccer, Sports, Stress, Psychological, Athletic Performance, Young Adult, Athletes
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