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Cited by 71Sport Psychology and PerformanceStress and Burnout ResearchCOVID-19 and Mental Health

Mental Health in Elite-Level Coaches: Prevalence Rates and Associated Impact of Coach Stressors and Psychological Resilience

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Kegelaers, Jolan, Wylleman, Paul, van Bree, I. (Belle) N.A., Wessels, Francesco, Oudejans, Raôul R.D.·2021·International Sport Coaching Journal
DOI 10.1123/iscj.2020-0066
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Abstract

Coaching in elite sports can be a highly volatile and stressful profession. Nevertheless, limited knowledge is available on how coach stressors impact elite-level coaches’ mental health. The present study therefore aimed to assess the self-perceived impact of coach stressors on coaches’ mental health, in terms of psychological and social well-being, as well as the prevalence of symptoms of a number of common mental disorders. Furthermore, the role of resilience was examined as a potential protective resource against mental health issues in coaches. Data were collected cross-sectionally, using an online survey with 119 elite-level coaches from the Netherlands and Belgium. Results showed that, although coach stressors were commonly experienced, the self-perceived impact on mental health was low to moderate. Nevertheless, symptoms of common mental disorders were prevalent within the coaches, ranging from 39% for depression/anxiety to 19% for distress and adverse alcohol use. Furthermore, organizational stressors were found to be a positive predictor for symptoms of depression/anxiety, whereas resilience was a negative predictor. The results highlight the need for more research and attention to the mental health of coaches in elite sports.

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  • Preliminary research has found organisational stressors and daily life hassles positively predict symptoms of depression and anxiety in elite-level coaches.

    “Preliminary research for instance has found organisational stressors and daily life hassles positively predict symptoms of depression and anxiety in elite-level coaches [11, 111].”

    From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [11]

    The Abstract and Conclusion report that organizational stressors positively predicted depression/anxiety symptoms in elite-level coaches. The Ahead of Print discussion reports earlier research linking daily hassles to depression in coaches, but does not say that daily hassles predicted anxiety symptoms. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Elite-level coaches encounter personal stressors including social isolation and relationship issues.

    “Similarly, coaches are also confronted with various personal stressors, including social isolation and relationship issues [4, 6, 10–12].”

    From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [11]

  • Symptoms of depression and anxiety were reported by 39.5% of a Dutch and Flemish sample of elite-level coaches (n = 119).

    “Kegelaers and colleagues reported that symptoms of depression and anxiety were reported by 39.5% of a Dutch and Flemish sample (n = 119) [11]”

    From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [11]

  • Nine studies examined the prevalence of mental ill-health amongst general elite-level coaching populations.

    “Nine studies (21.4%) [11, 12, 81, 93, 96, 99, 111–113] also examined the prevalence of mental ill-health amongst general elite-level coaching populations”

    From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [11]

  • Prevalence of risky alcohol consumption symptoms in elite-level coaches ranged from 19.3% to 48.3%.

    “Two studies examined rates of risky alcohol consumption in elite-level coaches using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Tool-Concise (AUDIT-C), where the prevalence of symptoms ranged from 19.3% to 48.3% [11, 12].”

    From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [11]

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Authors
Kegelaers, J., Wylleman, P., van Bree, I. (. N. A., Wessels, F., & Oudejans, R. R. D.
Affiliations
  • Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE)
  • 4Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
  • Nederlands Olympisch Comité Nederlandse Sport Federatie (NL)
  • Amsterdam Movement Sciences (NL)
Corresponding author
Kegelaers, Jolan
ORCID
Venue
International Sport Coaching Journal
Publisher
Human Kinetics
Published
2021-09-01
Volume
8
Issue
3
Pages
338-347
ISSN
  • 2328-918X (ISSN-L)
  • 2328-9198
DOI
10.1123/iscj.2020-0066
OpenAlex
W3135750827
Cited by
71
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 1
FWCI
13.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • International Sport Coaching Journal (publishedVersion)
  • VU Research Portal (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • VUBIR (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
Keywords
psychological resilience, depression, anxiety, organizational stressors, alcohol consumption, social well-being, psychological well-being, prevalence of mental disorders

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