A creative nonfiction story of male elite athletes’ experiences of lifetime stressor exposure, performance, and help-seeking behaviors

McLoughlin, E ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3630-6055, Arnold, R, Cavallerio, F, Fletcher, D and Moore, LJ, 2023. A creative nonfiction story of male elite athletes’ experiences of lifetime stressor exposure, performance, and help-seeking behaviors. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology. ISSN 2157-3905

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Abstract

Greater lifetime stressor exposure has been related to negative health outcomes (e.g., depression, cardiovascular disease). However, the relationship between lifetime stressor exposure and sporting performance is less clear. Furthermore, while the prevalence of mental health issues among elite athletes has been relatively well established, it appears that sport performers are not effectively utilizing mental health support services, particularly male athletes. Therefore, this study explored male elite athletes’ experiences of lifetime stressor exposure and performance in their sport, as well as their perceptions of the factors influencing mental health help-seeking behavior. Nine elite male athletes (Mage = 27.44 years; SD = 3.50) participated in semistructured interviews (Mduration = 90.25 min, SD = 26.38) supplemented with photo elicitation. Interpretative phenomenological analysis developed group experiential themes. From these themes, we constructed two composite vignettes that addressed each of the research questions, respectively. The first vignette was written using a first-person narrative, allowing the reader to understand an athlete’s (i.e., Toby’s) internal thoughts and feelings, as well as his experiences with lifetime stressors and how they impacted his performance. The second vignette was written using a third-person omniscient narration (i.e., the all-knowing narrator), detailing two athletes’ (i.e., James and Mark’s) experiences of seeking help for mental ill-health. Collectively, the findings offer vital and accessible information that sporting organizations can use to develop collaborative multilevel interventions that better support elite athletes’ performance and mental health, particularly athletes who have experienced greater lifetime stressor exposure.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology
Creators:	McLoughlin, E., Arnold, R., Cavallerio, F., Fletcher, D. and Moore, L.J.
Publisher:	American Psychological Association (APA)
Date:	10 April 2023
ISSN:	2157-3905
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1037/spy0000319 DOI 1750214 Other
Rights:	©American Psychological Association, 2023. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. The final article is available, upon publication, at: https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000319
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	27 Jun 2023 15:29
Last Modified:	27 Jun 2023 15:29
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/49300

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