When compared to the general population, athletes are more likely to be psychologically distressed. So what can they, and the people around them, do to monitor and improve their mental health?

By Dr. Will Vickery
Last updated: March 1st, 2024
9 min read

Mental health for coaches and athletes

Life over the past two years has been different, to say the least. Our day-to-day lives have changed drastically and upon reflection, it’s really been a time of learning and self-discovery. We’ve learned that working from home can be a good thing and can even help our productivity. We’ve discovered how much we (do or don’t) enjoy the company of other people. And some of us have even uncovered hidden talents through the adoption of new hobbies – I, for one, have become very good at making bad rye bread. But something we’ve collectively come to realise and appreciate is the importance of mental health and the need to better understand and look after our minds.

The pandemic has brought this importance to the surface even more than in the past, with the prevalence of mental ill health and disorders getting worse.

What is mental ill health? 

The term mental health is used a lot – whether in a news report, an email sent around to staff from HR, or in general conversation, potentially muddying the waters about what it really is. Just to make it clear, the World Health Organisation defines mental health as ‘a state of wellbeing in which an individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community’. By extension, mental ill health would be the opposite of each of these things.

There is no way of pinpointing what leads to an individual having mental health issues – we all respond to life events and experiences in vastly different ways. But things like childhood trauma, experiencing discrimination, severe long-term stress, or experiencing significant loss, are often attributed to mental ill health among the general population.

Regardless of where we come from, mental health – notably mental ill health – is a big issue these days. Here in Australia, the most recent National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (2007) reported nearly one in two people aged between 16-85 had experienced a mental disorder at some point during their life. Further, one in five of these same people experienced a mental disorder in the previous 12 months prior to this survey. With the results of an updated National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing due to be released sometime in the next 12 months, it’s likely we will see a rise in these numbers.

Mental health among athletes

At the end of the day, athletes are human beings and are just as susceptible to experiencing mental ill health as everyone else. The difference between an athlete and the mid-management employee who has a small family, a mortgage, various bills to pay, and other everyday life stressors, is the athlete might have these same issues in addition to sport-specific stressors. Those of us in the general population don’t really have to worry about the impact of long-term injuries, the constant attention from the public and media, or pressure of constantly having to be at the top of our game.

It’s no wonder then that when compared to the general population, athletes are more likely to be psychologically distressed.  Furthermore, more than half of Australian athletes have experienced some form of mental health problem like depression, eating disorders, or social anxiety. We see more and more stories these days of just how much mental ill health is impacting top-performing athletes, think most recently of Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles.

Now it’s unlikely that mental ill health will ever disappear, particularly within the athletic environment, but clearly, athletes need help when it comes to dealing with their mental health. Further still, athletes may not even recognise they are suffering from mental ill health. Again, they’re still human and most of us have trouble admitting we need help or why we need it. Although many clubs and organisations employ mental health professionals, some athletes may not take up the offer of these individuals. It might be that an athlete is much more comfortable bringing this up with their coach.

The question is then, what role does the coach play in the mental health of an athlete?

The role of the coach in preventing mental ill health among their athletes

Without question, the coach is one of the most influential individuals in an athlete’s lifetime, and therefore they have a significant role in an athlete’s mental health. This has been the topic for many a conversation within academic and practitioners’ environments for some time, and there is a lot of information out there that offers guidance.

What should I be looking for?
Given that many athletes often don’t, or are reluctant to, directly communicate their mental health issues to anyone, coaches need to be more knowledgeable about when their athletes have mental health concerns. In many cases, coaches spend just as many, if not more, hours in the week with the athlete than their loved ones, so they are in a really good place to recognise how their athletes are mentally.

Some of the common issues surrounding mental ill health and its lifecycle that coaches should know about and may find useful include:

1. The early warning signs that players consider to be the potential root of their mental ill health. This might include stressors linked to performance like not living up to expectations, or being away from loved ones and feeling isolated for long periods of time.
2. Fluctuations of mental health which might include some of the early stressors combined with additional ones that negatively (e.g., views of the media, long international tours) or positively (e.g., enjoying playing the sport, being given some on-field responsibility) impact their mental health.
3. The build-up to a severe incident which is characterised by an impactful and key period of time that was the precursor to the negative effect on their mental health. The authors highlighted this might include a death in the family that coincides with being away on tour.
4. The severe incident or key event. This is where the athlete appears to be at their lowest point with regards to their mental health. It’s the point where they can no longer suppress their feelings or where it becomes much more public. There is no one way in which this can be characterised and it could be triggered by even a minor incident. Players are often quoted as saying things like “by far the worst [experience of my life]” and “[being] vulnerable and exhausted”. This incident could also signal the end of an athlete’s playing career.
5. The recovery process is all about how the players dealt with the severe incident that led to their mental ill health. This is likely to differ depending on the individual, but one of the common examples used in this study was speaking with a professional such as a psychologist. 
6. Each player experienced some form of relapse of mental ill health, in some cases after attempting to restart their playing career at the highest level but ultimately led to their retirement.  

What can I do to support my athletes?

There is no one specific way or intervention that will lead to positive mental health. It is about knowing your athlete/s and fine-tuning your behaviours and the environment to their needs and how you think they’ll best respond. It’s important coaches are aware of the different contexts their athletes might find themselves in with regards to their mental health (e.g., the early warning signs, fluctuations, recovery after mental ill health), so they can create an effective environment that promotes positive mental health. Below are some examples of what this might include, but I would strongly encourage you to have a read through this article to get the full picture.

The role of the athlete in managing their mental ill health

Although coaches can – and should – be supporting their athletes and any mental ill health issues they might have, at some point the athletes will need to address and manage these issues themselves.

As I mentioned earlier, athletes are just human beings and they are exposed to many of the same potential traumatic events that can lead to mental ill health as the rest of us – they just have the pressures of sport to deal with as well. This means how they deal with and manage their mental health is not really any different to the general population, and the best way is to get out in front of it. In other words, the sooner an athlete recognises and intervenes with any mental ill health they might be feeling, the sooner and easier it can be in avoiding any long-term and severe mental health disorders.

Getting on top of mental issues as soon as possible was recognised by the International Olympic Committee Mental Health Group, who, one could argue, have the best interest of all athletes in mind. With that being the case, this group offered up a number of ideas on how athletes can identify and cope with any mental ill health issues they might have. These are just a few to consider: 

What does this all mean?

As coaches, we know our athletes are going to experience periods of pure joy as well as sadness, and for the most part, we cannot always control this to nurture a positive mental health status. What we can do, though, is have a better understanding of the various contexts and situations that might have the biggest impact on the mental health of our athletes and modify the environment and our own behaviours accordingly.

As athletes, we may not always have the confidence to speak up when we have mental ill health concerns, but recognising what might trigger a negative reaction to our mental health is the first step in managing this. Trust that your coach has your best interests at heart and they are more than just someone to offer advice about your forehand.

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Dr. Will Vickery

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.

More content by Will

The post Mental health in sport: A guide for coaches and athletes appeared first on Science for Sport.

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

By Dr. Will Vickery
Last updated: March 3rd, 2023
5 min read

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

Symptoms of CMD

Relationship between CMD Symptoms

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Practical Takeaways

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.”

Want to learn more? Then check these out…

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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.

The post Are you OK, coach? Starting the conversation about the mental health of coaches appeared first on Science for Sport.

Once the Olympic flame has been extinguished and the world moves on, what comes next for athletes who struggle to adapt?

By Dr. Will Vickery
Last updated: March 1st, 2024
6 min read

How does an Olympic athlete cope in a post-Olympics world?

For two weeks every four years – if you discount the year just gone – we get swept up in the magic of the Olympics, glued to our screens and forever chatting about the moments that were and those that could have been. But for those competing, an Olympic cycle can cover several years and be over in a flash.

For an athlete, the lifecycle of an Olympics campaign goes well beyond what we see in those two weeks. We hear so many stories about the monstrous number of hours spent on the track or in the pool as athletes ply their trade, the sacrifices to their personal and social lives, and their ability to overcome injury or adversity. Years of planning, training, and refining have gone into making sure that an athlete is in the best possible position to perform on the world’s biggest stage.

But once the flame has been distinguished and the world pushes the Olympics to the back of its proverbial mind, what comes next for the athletes? And importantly, how do they navigate this sudden change?

Beyond Tokyo: What happens next?
For us common folk, after all is said and done, the Olympics seamlessly fades into a collage of fond memories, and we all resume our regular work and sleep schedules. But despite most performing to the best of their ability, the reality is, most athletes aren’t boarding the plane home with a medal – and this can really be a tough pill to swallow for some.

Quite often, an athlete’s sense of identity is linked with their athletic ability, and “underachieving” is something that they might struggle with. Interestingly, Andrew Bennie and his colleagues recently found many athletes have a negative post-Olympic experience. In fact, those who failed to meet their perceived performance expectations (whether winning gold or hitting a PB), or were generally dissatisfied with their performance overall, experienced long-term psychological distress as a result.

The rise and fall of the “Olympic celebrity” is something which athletes often have to navigate, particularly on their arrival home. Following the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Howells & Lucassen reported that those who did not medal were often met with a sense of unaccomplishment from the general public (as perceived by the athletes). As you can imagine, thinking that you are not worth someone’s time just because you didn’t place in the top three would really start to play with your head.

For those who are not fortunate enough to simply continue their athlete careers (e.g. soccer players heading straight back into their national leagues), another factor they have to contend with is getting on with their pre-Olympic lives. At the end of the day, an athlete is no different to the rest of us, but having to go back to work or completing mundane, everyday tasks just isn’t exciting. Again, Howells & Lucassen highlighted how after the 2016 Olympic Games, a number of the athletes they spoke to felt completely unmotivated or genuinely disinterested in their “normal” lives.

It’s not all doom and gloom
I should clarify that in most cases, the Olympics, for both those competing and those watching from the sidelines, is a really positive experience. You’ve only to see the joy on the faces of the athletes after winning gold or when they make their way through the stadium at the opening or closing ceremony to realise this. Feeling a sense of pride and honour at being able to represent their country is also something athletes often quote about their Olympic experience, alongside achieving their childhood dreams of being an Olympian.

Referring back to the study of Bennie, opposed to their “underachieving” counterparts, athletes who were satisfied with their performance, regardless of the outcome, seemed to manage their wellbeing and were generally quite positive about their post-Olympic experiences.

Depending on the success and popularity of an athlete, there is sometimes a significant financial outcome after the Games in the form of prize money. For example, Singaporean gold medallists at this year’s Tokyo games will receive an astonishing US$1,000,000. Some athletes even manage to gain sponsorship deals after they have finished competing, think Michael Phelps and Reese’s. Something new for these Tokyo games is the impact of social media and athletes acting as influencers. A change to the IOC’s Rule 40 means athletes can now engage with fans whilst advertising for their personal sponsors to further help them financially.

Being an Olympian, particularly these days, really does have some perks.

What can be done to improve the wellbeing of athletes after the Olympics?
There are no finite rules to how an athlete should manage their wellbeing since, as we all know, everyone is different and likely to respond differently to the same stimulus. In most cases, though, the responsibility of managing and guiding an athlete’s wellbeing and ensuring they are in a positive state of mind falls to their coach. Bennie and colleagues offer a few recommendations on how the coach of an Olympic athlete can help foster a positive mindset post-Olympics:

To the athletes (and coaches) of the future…
If you find yourself donning your country’s colours on the world stage, make sure you set some time aside during your preparations, and even during your Olympic campaign, to think about and plan for what comes next. You need to be aware that the spotlight is not always going to shine on you, and being able to manage this effectively will go a long way in helping you to maintain a positive outlook on things.

As for coaches, an athlete’s wellbeing is their responsibility, before, during, and especially after the games (or any big event for that matter). So, making sure that athletes understand what comes next is imperative to achieving a positive state of mind and a successful transition back into life following the closing ceremony.

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Dr. Will Vickery

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.

More content by Will

References

The post Olympic letdown? How does an elite athlete cope in a post-Olympics world? appeared first on Science for Sport.

1. Introduction
2. What they found
3. What this means
4. Practical takeaways
5. References
6. About the author

Introduction

It is widely known that physical activity and sport has a considerable impact on the health of the general population and athletes alike. Furthermore, numerous studies have reported on the psychological benefits of organised sport for children and young adults. High levels of mental health issues amongst young adults suggest a need for intervention strategies to change this trend.

Typically, young adults are more comfortable discussing their mental health issues with peers or a trusted adult within the sports environment (this trusted adult is very likely to be the coach). Due to the contact time and nature of the coach-athlete relationship, a coach is in an ideal position to provide information or assistance for young athletes with possible psychological issues.

Having said that, there are obviously restrictions on how much information or intervention a coach can have given their typically limited experience and knowledge in the area of mental health. The aim of the current study was then to gain a greater understanding of how coaches perceive their role in the promotion of mental health for young athletes.

What the researchers did

Using focus groups with 20 Australian coaches from an array of sports (swimming, cricket, basketball, Australian rules, and tennis), the researchers highlighted a number of key points relating to mental health within the context of adolescents and sport:

Many of the coaches suggested that when working in youth sports, they often feel required to serve a number of different roles including being a mentor, an educator, a motivator, as well as someone whom their young athletes can confide in.

Most coaches also saw their role in the mental health of their young athletes as someone who was better placed to identify possible psychological issues and refer them to those with more experience and knowledge in this area, as opposed to intervening and providing assistance.

A number of coaches found it challenging to discuss mental health with their young athletes or that this did not happen directly as they were unsure how their athletes might react. On the other hand, some coaches encouraged their athletes to discuss mental health issues with them and made this part of the club culture.

What they found

Coaches were generally unsure of how to approach the topic of mental health with young athletes after initially asking “are you all right?” due to a lack of knowledge and experience within this area.

The coaches appeared to have some knowledge of the possible triggers linked to mental health problems among young adults including schoolwork, relationships (e.g. parents, teachers at school), and social media. Additionally, these same coaches tended to understand some possible recommendations on how to overcome these issues, including discussing their problems with a trusted adult or professional and sufficient sleep.

Coaches also believed the parents of young adults played a key role in the mental health of young athletes as well as their personal development. Unfortunately, the coaches noted that many parents do not see this as their role which may lead to future mental health issues amongst the young athletes.

What this means

It is clear that coaches, particularly of young adults, must play a number of different roles, which includes dealing with the mental health of their athletes. Although it may not be one of the reasons for a coach taking up employment with an athlete or a team, coaches understand they have a responsibility to oversee and be mindful of the psychological wellbeing and development of their athletes.

Coaches seemed to know what may be the cause of any mental health issues and what may be some approaches on how to overcome these. However, the manner in which coaches approach this appears to differ considerably and, in most cases, as stated by the authors “…coaches were unsure of what help was necessary and unsure of how to provide that help.” This highlights that coaches do understand the impact an athlete’s mental health can have on their development as well as performance, yet they are unsure of what they can really do about this.

Practical takeaways

Psychological health is often taken for granted or not even a consideration for many coaches when constructing their training plans. A lack of education or experience in the area is likely to cause many coaches to ignore this part of an athlete’s development, which is entirely understandable.

Those involved in youth sports (or at any level) are encouraged to improve their mental health literacy. Again, as the authors suggest, this might include becoming more aware of the signs and symptoms of poor mental health as well as acknowledging when to seek professional help.

As such, it may be recommended coaches add mental health education to their continuing professional development list as this will most definitely develop the coach’s skill set and ability to connect with their athletes, not to mention support their health and wellbeing.

This Performance Digest snippet was taken from issue #22, August 2018 available for members.

The post Coaches and Adolescent Mental Health – Understanding the mental health of athletes is the first step to their development and success appeared first on Science for Sport.