A qualitative exploration of the influence of high lifetime stressor exposure on sports performers interpretations of daily life stressors

McLoughlin, E ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3630-6055, Arnold, R and Mellalieu, SD, 2025. A qualitative exploration of the influence of high lifetime stressor exposure on sports performers interpretations of daily life stressors. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. ISSN 1041-3200

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Abstract

Research has found that lifetime stressor exposure increases the risk for mental and physical health problems. Although important, previous research has predominantly used self-report questionnaires, which only assess stressor exposure at a single point in time. To address this limitation, we used a longitudinal study design to explore how historical exposure to high lifetime stress influences sport performers’ interpretations of, and responses to, daily life stressors. We identified participants in the top 10% of lifetime stressor count and severity, as assessed by the Stress and Adversity Inventory and the Sport Stress Assessment Module. 298 sport performers (153 male; Mage = 30.71 years, SD = 13.31) completed these measures, and seven participants (3 female; Mage = 31.86 years, SD = 8.65) who had experienced high lifetime stress completed daily audio diaries for a 28-day period about their interpretations of, and responses to, daily life stressors. We analyzed the data using interpretative phenomenological analysis and identified six group experiential themes: (1) hyperfixation; (2) disproportionate responses to stressors; (3) self-reliance leading to social isolation; (4) unrealistically high expectations of self and others; (5) overly empathetic to others; and (6) hypervigilance to future stressors. This study extends prior research by utilizing daily audio diaries to capture longitudinal data, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of how historical exposure to stressors influence responses to daily life stressors. Consequently, practitioners can use these findings to educate sport performers on utilising more adaptive responses to acute daily life stressors.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of Applied Sport Psychology
Creators:	McLoughlin, E., Arnold, R. and Mellalieu, S.D.
Publisher:	Informa UK Limited
Date:	25 July 2025
ISSN:	1041-3200
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1080/10413200.2025.2535994 DOI 2482425 Other
Rights:	This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Applied Sport Psychology on 25 July 2025, available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2025.2535994
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Laura Borcherds
Date Added:	14 Aug 2025 08:37
Last Modified:	14 Aug 2025 08:37
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/54187

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