Are you OK, coach? Starting the conversation about the mental health of coaches

The authors of this study investigated the relationship between coaches’ mental health, the stressors they faced, and their use of psychological resilience.

Original study

Kegelaers, J., Wylleman, P., van Bree, I. B. N., Wessels, F., & Oudejans, R. R. (2021). Mental Health in Elite-Level Coaches: Prevalence Rates and Associated Impact of Coach Stressors and Psychological Resilience. International Sport Coaching Journal, 8(3), 338-347.

Click here for abstract

Objective

Despite the highly demanding and stressful environment in which coaches work in, very little is known about their mental health. From the limited information that does exist, we know there are three main stressors that can impact them – performance (e.g., injuries to their athletes, poor playing performance), organisational (e.g., job insecurity, conflicts between playing and other support staff), and personal (e.g., lack of social time, feelings of isolation) stressors (see HERE). Not managing these stressors can lead to common mental disorders (CMD) amongst coaches, in the form of poor sleep, anger towards those around them, or depression amongst other things (see HERE). What is poorly understood though is the number of coaches who experience CMD, which limits the ability of policy makers and mental health practitioners in creating solutions to overcoming poor mental health.  
One method that has been shown to improve mental health, mostly amongst athletes, is psychological resilience. In general terms, psychological resilience refers to an individual’s ability to maintain or adapt their regular mental and emotional state during various challenges using facilitative behaviours (see HERE). Some research has highlighted the beneficial use of psychological resilience among elite coaches, although more information is needed in this space to understand its true impact.

That being the case, the authors of this study investigated the relationship between coaches’ mental health, the stressors they faced, and their use of psychological resilience.

What They Did

A total of 119 elite-level coaches (age = 43.03 ± 10.51 yr; coaching experience = 12.75 ± 10.10 yr)  from the Netherlands and Belgium completed an online survey that collected information about the impact and incidence of coach stressors on mental health, symptoms of CMD, and resilience. The survey consisted of a mixture of previously validated (e.g., Distress Screener, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10) and newly developed measures (e.g., Coach Stressor Inventory).

What They Found

Stressors and Mental Health

The top three most prevalent perceived stressors for coaches on their mental health were athlete injury (experienced by 97.5%), long working hours (96.6%), and poor performances (96.6%).

The least prevalent perceived stressors on coaches’ mental health were missing children’s education (56.3%), health problems (63.0%), and lack of social support (63.9%). 

None of the perceived stressors had a strong link to the mental health of the coaches. 

Symptoms of CMD

More than half of the coaches (55.5%) self-reported at least one symptom of CMD.

The prevalence rate of CMD symptoms ranged from 19.3% (adverse alcohol use) to 39.5% (depression/anxiety).

Two or more CMD symptoms were present in 32.7% of all coaches.

Relationship between CMD Symptoms

Moderate correlations existed between performance stressors and organisational stressors, personal stressors and organisational stressors, and distress and depression/anxiety

Small correlations existed between personal stressors and performance stressors, depression/anxiety and organisational stressors, sleep disturbance and depression/anxiety, resilience and depression/anxiety, sleep disturbance and distress, and resilience and sleep disturbance.

Practical Takeaways

As suggested by the authors, more needs to be done to support the mental health of coaches, particularly at an organisational level when working within elite sport. National sports organisations and sports clubs have a responsibility to provide their coaches with the same amount of support they provide their high-level athletes, since these individuals are the ones responsible for shaping their development.

Educating coaches about resilience is another approach recommended by the authors. Coaches need to be aware of how to build resilience (e.g., self-reflective behaviours, physical and emotional detachment strategies) as well as how to recognise the stressors that may lead to its use.

Coaches also need to be more aware of the links that stressors they are exposed to have with each other. For example, depression and anxiety seem to be linked with a number of CMD symptoms, all very common in the lives of sports coaches. By recognising which symptoms are linked to others might be the first step in determining the best way to minimise CMD amongst coaches.

Reviewer’s Comments

“One of the key findings of this study highlights that coaches consider the performance of their athletes to be the main contributor to their own mental health, and personal stressors the least. This findings speaks volumes towards the athlete-centred approach that many modern coaches have, tending to put the needs of their athletes first, often at the expense as it would seem to their own mental health. This finding also shows that one of the main contributors to CMD’s amongst coaches is – for the most part – out of their control.

“Because of this finding and the associated reasons for it, how coaches manage their mental health is clearly a challenge. Although I can’t propose any easy solutions, speaking with professionals who can help build psychological resilience skills is the best place to begin.”

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About the Author

Will is a Lecturer of Sport Coaching at Deakin University, Australia. Prior to this he has worked with Cricket NSW and Cricket Australia in an array of roles ranging from a sport scientist, development coach and a strength and conditioning coach. He completed his PhD at the University of Newcastle, Australia within the area of practice design.