ECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH24
Introduction Despite increasing research into athlete mental health, the role of perfectionism in elite athletes' mental health has not been thoroughly assessed. This is notable because perfectionism is a transdiagnostic risk factor for mental health concerns outside of sport, yet uncertainty remains about whether these findings extend to elite athletes. We examined (i) the main and total effects of perfectionistic strivings (PS) and perfectionistic concerns (PC) on mental health symptoms in elite athletes and (ii) whether perfectionism was related to formal recommendations for mental health support made by sport psychologists following brief clinical intake interviews - a procedure shown to enhance the diagnostic effectiveness of athlete mental health assessment. Methods National and international athletes (N=805; 364 female, 441 male; aged 18-58; M=23.76, SD=5.13) from Olympic sports, including 107 Paris 2024 Olympians, participated during biannual medical check-ups at the National Centre for Sports Medicine. Athletes completed measures of perfectionism (Sport Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-2; Performance Perfectionism Scale-Sport) and mental health symptoms using the IOC Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool 1 (SMHAT-1), which assesses psychological distress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, sleep disturbances, alcohol and drug misuse, and disordered eating. Athletes then took part in brief clinical intake interviews with qualified sport psychologists, who provided mental health recommendations on a three-level scale. Multiple regression with bias-corrected accelerated bootstrapping (5000 resamples), ordinal regression, and total unique effects of perfectionism were calculated. Results PC was significantly related to higher levels of all mental health symptoms and a greater likelihood of being recommended further mental health support. PS was uniquely related to higher anxiety and disordered eating. Total unique effects of perfectionism were positive for all outcomes: large for psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances; medium for disordered eating; and small for alcohol and drugs misuse. The total unique effect on mental health recommendations was also positive and large. PC consistently made the larger contribution to explained variance (75-87%). Discussion The results suggest perfectionism is a transdiagnostic risk factor for mental health difficulties among elite athletes. While PC is the primary driver, PS also contributes. Overall, perfectionism is related to higher levels of all measured mental health symptoms. Crucially, higher perfectionism also increased the likelihood of requiring specialist mental health support as determined by clinical interviews. These findings call for a more realistic appraisal of perfectionism in elite sport and highlight the need for tailored interventions addressing perfectionistic tendencies as part of safeguarding athlete mental health.
Read CV Wojciech WaleriańczykECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH24
How competitive athletes perceive sport injury and its rehabilitation through a lens of compassion: Insights from three focus group discussions Background: Sport injuries are common across competitive levels, disrupting performance, identity, and psychosocial wellbeing. Research has documented physical and psychological challenges in relating to athletes’ injuries and rehabilitation, yet with a relatively narrowed focus on the type of injury and insufficient articulation of the comprehensive emotional, motivational, and relational factors that warrant further qualitative exploration. The present study recruited athletes with diverse experiences of sport injuries and rehabilitation for a focus group discussion to identify shared patterns in the challenges they faced and their perceptions of the injury and rehabilitation, through a lens of compassion, given prior work on the benefit of compassion in sport. Methods: Three focus groups were conducted with athletes who had experienced sport-related injury. 14 competitive athletes (Mage = 21.7 years old, SD = 3.10) voluntarily participated in the present study, involving 10 female and 4 male participants who recently experienced a sport injury and were undergoing a rehabilitation process at the time of data collection. Among these participants, 8 competed at the university or regional level, 5 were semi-professional, playing sport for part of their income, and 1 was competing at the international level; 11 were from team sports (i.e., football, rugby, netball, cricket) whilst 3 were from individual sports (i.e., athletics, badminton, boxing). Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted to capture the shared patterns in how athletes experienced and navigated injury and recovery. Results: Four themes were identified. First, athletes described a pronounced emotional and psychological impact of injury, characterised by emotional distress, fluctuation, and sustained psychological burden. Second, injury was experienced as a source of disruption, loss, and vulnerability, including disruption to routine and role, alongside fear and uncertainty related to reinjury and return to performance. Third, participants reported varied responses to injury, encompassing changes in motivation, effort regulation, and the use of different coping and self-regulation strategies during recovery. Finally, experiences of compassion and social context featured prominently, with athletes describing both supportive interpersonal responses to their suffering and clear limits to self-compassion, including reluctance to seek help and self-imposed barriers. Conclusions: These findings highlight sport-related injury as a multifaceted experience involving how athletes experience and relate to suffering across emotional, motivational, and social domains. Attending to these experiential patterns may support more psychologically attuned approaches to injury recovery without presuming the presence or effectiveness of compassionate response.
Read CV Fan ZhuoyingECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH24
Purpose: Psychological safety is a key psychological variable that influences athletes’ performance and team learning. This is particularly important in artistic swimming, where it is highly dependent on expressiveness, precision, and teamwork. However, sport-specific conceptualizations and validated measurement tools in artistic swimming remain underdeveloped. This study aimed to construct an operational definition and theoretical dimensions of psychological safety for artistic swimmers through multi-perspective qualitative study and to develop a preliminary measurement tool with strong content validity. Methods: An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was adopted. A novel, integrated focus group interview was conducted, involving five key stakeholder groups in cross-disciplinary discussion: one representative each from artistic swimming coaches, active athletes, athletes’ parents, sport psychology counselors, and non-sport professionals (serving as external observers). The interview focused on themes such as definition, behavioral manifestations, interpersonal and environmental influences. Thematic analysis was used to code and analyze the transcribed texts. Based on the qualitative findings, initial scale items were generated and iteratively refined through participants’ feedback and expert review to finalize the items. Results: Three key outcomes emerged: (1) a contextual definition was established: artistic swimmers’ freedom from fear of negative judgment when making mistakes or expressing ideas, enabling confident engagement; (2) two core dimensions were identified: Cultural-environmental and Individual-Behavioral; and (3) a 10-item Initial Psychological Safety Scale for Artistic Swimming was developed. Conclusion: This study provides the first sport-specific framework and measurement tool for psychological safety in artistic swimming. This scale provides a foundation for empirical research and targeted interventions in team dynamics and athlete support.
Read CV Liuyi WangECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH24