In recent years, athlete mental health has received increased attention from researchers; however, coaches also experience stressors that can impact their mental health. This study addressed a gap in the sport coaching literature by using a phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of community sport coaches in Canada—an understudied population that makes up a large portion of the coaching workforce. Nineteen coaches from Atlantic Canada discussed stressors, coping strategies, and mental health in one-on-one semistructured interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results are presented in three higher order themes: mental health culture in sport, influences on coach mental health, and coping strategies and supports. Our findings suggest that community coaches experience a variety of stressors (e.g., interpersonal, personal, organizational) similar to elite coaches, but that the origin of stressors may be different in the community sport context. The impact of stressors can be mitigated by coaches’ coping strategies, access to training and resources, and aspects of the role that support their mental health (e.g., rewarding work). Finally, these results suggest that training should address gaps in mental health literacy for coaches to support their own mental health needs as well as their athletes’ needs.
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Exploring the Experiences of Community Sport Coaches: Stressors, Coping Strategies, and Mental Health
Kelsey Hogan, Matthew Vierimaa, and Lori Dithurbide
Development of, and Initial Validity Evidence for, the Referee Self-Efficacy Scale: A Multistudy Report
Nicholas D. Myers, Deborah L. Feltz, Félix Guillén, and Lori Dithurbide
The purpose of this multistudy report was to develop, and then to provide initial validity evidence for measures derived from, the Referee Self-Efficacy Scale. Data were collected from referees (N = 1609) in the United States (n = 978) and Spain (n = 631). In Study 1 (n = 512), a single-group exploratory structural equation model provided evidence for four factors: game knowledge, decision making, pressure, and communication. In Study 2 (n = 1153), multiple-group confirmatory factor analytic models provided evidence for partial factorial invariance by country, level of competition, team gender, and sport refereed. In Study 3 (n = 456), potential sources of referee self-efficacy information combined to account for a moderate or large amount of variance in each dimension of referee self-efficacy with years of referee experience, highest level refereed, physical/mental preparation, and environmental comfort, each exerting at least two statistically significant direct effects.
