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Cited by 66Sport Psychology and PerformanceStress and Burnout ResearchCoaching Methods and Impact

Desperate to Quit: A Narrative Analysis of Burnout and Recovery in High-Performance Sports Coaching

Open access
Olusoga, Peter, Kenttä, Göran·2017·The Sport Psychologist
DOI 10.1123/tsp.2016-0010
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Abstract

This study investigated how the experiences of two elite coaches contributed to and shaped their stories of burnout and withdrawal from high performance coaching. The coaches whose narratives we explore were both middle-aged head coaches, one in a major team sport at the highest club level, and one in an individual Olympic sport at international level. Through a thematic narrative analysis, based on in-depth interviews, the stories of the two coaches are presented in four distinct sections: antecedents, experiences of coaching with burnout symptoms, withdrawal from sport, and the process of recovery and personal growth. These narratives have implications for high performance coaching, such as the importance of role clarity, work-home inference, counseling, mentoring, and social support as means to facilitate recovery, and the need for additional research with coaches who have left sport, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the complete burnout-recovery process.

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Crossref · 10.1123/tsp.2016-0010

Cites

27 of 27 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Preliminary evidence indicates that mental health may contribute positively and negatively towards factors such as productivity and motivation.

    “since preliminary evidence indicates that mental health may contribute positively and negatively towards factors such as productivity and motivation [13, 44–46].”

    From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [45]

  • Sleep disturbances were associated with symptoms of burnout.

    “Findings also revealed that sleep disturbances were associated with symptoms of burnout [45, 97, 100]”

    From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [45]

  • Emotional exhaustion contributed towards a decrease in motivation amongst elite-level coaches.

    “and emotional exhaustion contributed towards a decrease in motivation amongst elite-level coaches [45].”

    From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [45]

  • Elite-level coaches experiencing symptoms associated with burnout reported struggling to get the best out of their athletes.

    “Olusoga and Kenttä found that elite-level coaches experiencing symptoms associated with burnout reported struggling to get the best out of their athletes [45].”

    From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [45]

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Authors
Olusoga, P., & Kenttä, G.
Affiliations
  • Sheffield Hallam University (GB)
  • Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (SE)
Corresponding author
Olusoga, Peter
ORCID
Venue
The Sport Psychologist
Publisher
Human Kinetics
Published
2017-09
Volume
31
Issue
3
Pages
237-248
ISSN
  • 0888-4781 (ISSN-L)
  • 1543-2793
DOI
10.1123/tsp.2016-0010
OpenAlex
W2586235087
Cited by
66
References
27
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 6
FWCI
7.21
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
other-oa
Locations
  • The Sport Psychologist (publishedVersion)
  • SHURA (Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive) (Sheffield Hallam University) (acceptedVersion)
  • KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Coaching Methods and Impact
Keywords
burnout, burnout recovery, elite coaches, role clarity, work-home interference, social support, mentoring, counseling, personal growth

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