Interpersonal coping in sport: A systematic review.

PURPOSE: To systematically search for, appraise, and synthesize peer-reviewed literature on interpersonal coping (IC) in sport. DESIGN: A systematic review adhering to PRISMA-P guidelines. METHOD: Systematic searches of CINAHL, PsycArticles, APA PsycInfo, and SPORTDiscus were conducted. To be eligible for inclusion, papers had to be published in full in the English language in a peer-reviewed journal and had to contain empirical data that focused on IC among individuals in sport (i.e., athletes, coaches, sport parents, practitioners). RESULTS: The final sample consisted of 28 studies (22 qualitative, five quantitative, one mixed methods) spanning from September 01, 1981 to July 10, 2023. The results highlight eight antecedents and facilitators of IC (closeness, commitment, communication, complementarity, cultural values, environment and situations, sharing of demands, support), three mediators and moderators of IC (appraisal of own and others' emotions and or coping, gender, individuals within the relationship), and three outcomes of IC (performance, relationships, regulation or management of emotions). The findings were used to develop the first working definition of IC in sport. CONCLUSION: A volte-face of thought is needed to shift attention toward the interpersonal manifestation of coping. IC has wide-reaching implications for individuals, relationships, and other psychological constructs. Methodological innovation is needed to realize stepwise changes in intellectual and practical progress and to develop quantitative measures of IC. Coaches, family members, practitioners, and retired athletes are considerably underrepresented in research on IC. This systematic review offers a vantage point from which composed and coordinated action can be taken to develop research on IC.

Interpersonal psychological well-being among coach-athlete-sport psychology practitioner triads.

The importance of psychological well-being (PWB) is widely acknowledged in global policy and has important ramifications for health, performance, and engagement among sport performers. Despite this compelling knowledge, little is known about PWB in close sport relationships. We aimed to explore the interpersonal antecedents, transfer mechanisms, and outcomes of PWB within and among athletes, coaches, and sport psychology practitioners (SPPs). Underpinned by an interpretative paradigm, we conducted individual and triadic interviews with three coach-athlete-SPP triads from individual sports and analyzed data using abductive reasoning applied to reflexive thematic analysis. The themes we constructed relating to antecedents of PWB were situational properties of stressors, factors relating to the organization, shared values and characteristics, and interpersonal resilience. PWB was transferred among the triad via interpersonal coping, emotional contagion, and social appraising. PWB was cyclic in nature and, thus, we constructed themes (i.e., psychological safety, meaningful experiences of growth and development, and relational dynamics), which represented those factors that acted as both antecedents and outcomes. Our findings transcend individual understandings of PWB in sport by representing the first interpersonal examination of PWB among coach-athlete-SPP triads. This shift is crucial for informing how performers can collectively evaluate and manage PWB in the context of their close sport relationships. These findings implicate two primary recommendations: first, we recommend that researchers extend conceptual understanding of PWB among those in close sport relationships. Second, organizations and practitioners are encouraged to consider how mentoring and relationship-building schemes can be tailored within wider education and support programs to bolster PWB among athletes, coaches, and practitioners.

A daily diary study of primary appraisals, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intentions in sport coaches.

Cognitive-motivational-relational theory asserts that stress is a dynamic process, during which daily fluctuations in mediating processes (primary appraisals) can explain a range of ill-being and performance related outcomes. We tested this idea using a daily diary study to examine the relationships between primary appraisals, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intentions in sport coaches. Forty-four sport coaches (61% male; Mage = 34.98 years) completed an online questionnaire twice per day for five days. The findings of within-person analyses indicated that hourly harm appraisals positively predicted momentary emotional exhaustion over the diary period (ß = .30, p < .05). Additionally, emotional exhaustion positively predicted coaches' job turnover intentions (ß = .18, p < .05). The findings offer unique insight into the cognitive-motivational-relational theory of stress and emotion by illustrating how exhaustion and turnover intentions may be intensified as a function of primary appraisals experienced during the working day.

Design and preliminary validation of the barriers to sports coaching questionnaire for women in South Africa: An application of the ecological model.

The purpose of this study was to develop and preliminarily validate a questionnaire to examine barriers to coaching that are encountered by women sports coaches in South Africa. Two series of studies were conducted to assess content and face validity, factorial structure, and reliability of a new questionnaire. In study one, 40 items were developed based on LaVoi and Dutove's ecological model of barriers and supports for female coaches and a thorough literature review. A panel of experts was employed to explore content validity and suitability of the provisional items. In study two, an initial 35-item questionnaire (the Barriers to Sports Coaching Questionnaire for Women; BSCQW) was administered to 152 women sports coaches who were working in South Africa. Principal component analysis was used to reduce items and determine the factorial structure of the questionnaire. Analyses resulted in a 32-item BSCQW, which consists of intrapersonal, interpersonal, organisational, and socio-cultural barriers to coaching. The most proximal barriers were organisational (M = 2.71, SD = 1.24) and interpersonal (M = 2.22, SD = 1.04). The findings indicate that the overall internal consistency of the BSCQW was .81, demonstrating that the questionnaire was reliable. Thus, BSCQW is a valid tool to assess barriers experienced by women sports coaches in South Africa. Further rigorous psychometric assessments are warranted.

Advancing Our Understanding of Psychological Stress and Coping Among Parents in Organized Youth Sport.

The current study investigated psychological stress among parents of competitive British tennis players. Adopting a multipart concurrent mixed method design, 135 British tennis parents completed a cross sectional online questionnaire to examine their primary appraisals, emotions, and coping strategies associated with self-disclosed stressors. Hierarchical content analysis was conducted on open ended questionnaire responses to identify key stressors and coping strategies, and descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to explore the differences between various components of the process. The findings revealed a range of organizational, competitive, and developmental stressors. These stressors were predominantly appraised as harm or challenge, and anxiety and anger were the most prominent emotions that the parents experienced. Statistically, parents experienced greater anger in relation to competition (compared to organizational and developmental) stressors, whilst harm appraisal increased negative emotions, and challenge appraisal increased positive emotions. Findings also highlighted how parents used a number of mastery, internal regulation, and goal withdrawal coping strategies, which varied statistically in degrees of reported effectiveness. The contribution of these findings to the stress literature and their applied implications are discussed.

The antecedents and outcomes of dyadic coping in close personal relationships: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Theories of dyadic coping and empirical literature have intermittently and inconsistently highlighted antecedents and outcomes of dyadic coping. The purpose of this review was to systematically identify the antecedents and outcomes of dyadic coping in close personal relationships. DESIGN: A PRISMA-guided systematic review and narrative synthesis. METHODS: Literature searches were conducted using CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, and citation pearl growing to identify studies that were relevant to the aim of the review. The search strategy and exclusion criteria led to a final sample of 46 studies that each highlighted antecedents and outcomes of dyadic coping among married couples. Each study was critically appraised and analyzed using narrative synthesis. RESULTS: The narrative synthesis highlighted five antecedents (learning, gender, relationship characteristics, relationship role, and cultural influences) and two outcomes (relationship functioning and personal health) of dyadic coping. CONCLUSION: The review exposes inconsistencies in the conceptualization of dyadic coping, highlights a range of antecedents that influence dyadic coping, and suggests that dyadic coping can have positive benefits for relationship functioning and personal health. The findings have implications for future research and practice (e.g. when working with couples to improve relationship functioning).

Getting to the heart of the matter: a diary study of swimmers' appraisals of organisational stressors.

We explored sport performers' cognitive appraisals of organisational stressors. The relevant demands and transactional alternatives that athletes experience in relation to the situational properties were identified. Thirteen national standard swimmers completed semi-structured, interval-contingent daily diaries for a 28-day period. A combination of inductive and deductive content analysis was used to organise and analyse the diary entries with a focus on the following areas: organisational stressors, their underlying situational properties, and the swimmers' transactional alternatives. One hundred and thirty-one of the organisational stressors were appraised as threat, 41 as challenge, and 83 as harm/loss. Support was found for the majority of Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) situational properties with the only exception being temporal uncertainty. Imminence was associated with the greatest number of threat appraisals (47), novelty was associated with the greatest number of challenge appraisals (17), and duration was associated with the greatest number of harm/loss appraisals (22). It is concluded that appraisal plays a pivotal role in sport performers' experiences of their organisational environment. Swimmers' transactional alternatives are influenced by the situational properties of the stressors encountered.