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Cited by 67Sport Psychology and PerformanceStress and Burnout ResearchPsychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction

Psychological stress and psychological well-being among sports coaches: a meta-synthesis of the qualitative research evidence

Open access
Potts, Alexandra J., Didymus, Faye F., Kaiseler, Mariana·2023·International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology
DOI 10.1080/1750984x.2021.1907853
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Abstract

Approximately 200,000 coaches cease coaching each year in the United Kingdom alone. The reasons for this dropout are not fully understood, but they could be linked to the stressful nature of coaching and the potential for this to impede health and psychological well-being (PWB). The aim of this meta-synthesis is to systematically search for and draw together the qualitative research evidence on coaches’ experiences of stressors, primary appraisals, emotions, coping, and PWB. Using a rigorous and systematic search protocol, 11 studies were identified, assessed for research quality, and synthesized thematically to generate new insight. The findings highlight the plethora of stressors that coaches can experience, the impact of coaches’ appraisals on PWB, and the coping families that coaches can use to foster adaptation. In doing so, the meta-synthesis deepens our understanding of coaches’ stress transactions and their experiences of PWB. There is a significant lack of qualitative research evidence on coaches’ appraisals and PWB. Qualitative and or longitudinal research is warranted to develop knowledge in these areas. Such research should be used to develop interventions that are applicable to different coaching populations (e.g. working parents and part-time coaches) to help minimize stressors, facilitate positive appraisals and emotions, and foster PWB.

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  • Previous reviews have largely examined coach mental health across various competitive levels, including community and elite sports environments.

    “previous reviews have also largely examined coach mental health across various competitive levels, including those operating in both community and elite sports environments [21, 22, 36, 37].”

    From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [36]

    The included-studies table (labelled Disclosure statement in our copy; page unavailable) lists coaches at youth, national, elite international, and Olympic levels, supporting the claim that this review spans competitive levels. It does not identify a community-sport setting, so that specific example is not established by this source. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Previous reviews have summarised key concepts around stressors, wellbeing, coping strategies, and burnout among coaches.

    “These studies have summarised key concepts around stressors [21, 22, 35, 36], wellbeing [21, 35, 36], coping strategies [3, 21, 36] and burnout [37].”

    From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [36]

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3 of the 125 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. Didymus, F. F., Norman, L., Hurst, M., & Clarke, N. (in press). Work-related stressors, health, and psychological wellbeing among women sports coaches. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching.
  2. Durand-Bush, N., Collins, J., & McNeill, K. (2012). Women coaches' experiences of stress and self- regulation: A multiple case study. International Journal of Coaching Science, 6(2), 21-43.
  3. Fletcher, D., Hanton, S., & Mellalieu, S. (2006). An organisational stress review: Conceptual and theor- etical issues in competitive sport. In S. Hanton and S. D. Mellalieu (Ed.) Literature Reviews in Sport Psychology (pp 1-53) Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers.
  4. Karpaviciute, S., & Parkinson, C. (2015). Arts activity and well-being in the workplace: A pilot study of health service workers in Lithuania. Neurologijos Seminarai, 19(3), 210-216. https://hdl.handle. net/20.500.12512/93512
  5. Lachal, J., Revah-Levy, A., Orri, M., & Moro, M. R. (2017). Metasynthesis: An original method to syn- thesize qualitative literature in psychiatry. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 8(269), 321-326. https://doi.org/ 10.3389/fpsyt2017.00269 · DOI
  6. Malik, S., & Noreen, S. (2015). Perceived organizational support as a moderator of affective well- being and occupational stress among teachers. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences, 9(3), 865-874.
  7. i4086 · DOI
  8. Robertson, I., & Cooper, G. (2011). Well-being: Productivity and Happiness at work. Palgrave Macmillan.

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Authors
Potts, A. J., Didymus, F. F., & Kaiseler, M.
Affiliations
Leeds Beckett University (GB)
Corresponding author
Potts, Alexandra J.
ORCID
Venue
International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2021-04-07
Volume
16
Issue
1
Pages
554-583
ISSN
  • 1750-984X (ISSN-L)
  • 1750-9858
DOI
10.1080/1750984x.2021.1907853
OpenAlex
W3140000366
Cited by
67
References
125
Citations by year
2026: 17 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 1
FWCI
13.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • e-space (Manchester Metropolitan University) (acceptedVersion)
  • Leeds Beckett Repository (Leeds Beckett University) (acceptedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Keywords
sports coaches, psychological stress, psychological well-being, primary appraisal, coping, emotions, stress adaptation, working parents

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