- Email: [email protected]
Stressed at work? But we love the game: Experiences of Australian Football League coaches
62 / Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 18S (2014) e108–e135
surrounded by sport science experts to help them achieve their athletic best, but there is now recognition that athletes’ offfield lives can greatly influence their on-field performance. Many national sporting organizations (NSOs) are being proactive in enhancing athlete wellbeing; however this response may not be uniform across all sports, and could even be fragmented within sports. The aim of this study was to understand what is occurring within the athlete wellbeing sphere from the perspectives of the NSOs and player associations (PAs). Methods: Within a case study design, qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with seven key individuals associated with NSOs or player associations who worked in the broad space of ‘athlete wellbeing’. Interviews lasted between 60 and 90 min, were recorded, and transcribed verbatim; participants were given the opportunity to review transcripts. Data analysis was undertaken using an inductive, data-driven approach. Results: Wellbeing was seen as all the aspects of an athlete’s life outside of sport, with recognition that off-field life impacts upon in-competition performance. Wellbeing was seen as separate to the high performance/sports science side of sport, but participants saw that it was integral to be engaged with and have ‘buy-in’ from that side, particularly from coaches. There were similar issues within wellbeing that all sports were engaged with; in particular, mental health was seen as a major issue for all sports. Other issues, such as athlete transition into and out of sport, gambling, substance use, and social media, were also seen as important. How deeply NSOs/PAs could engage in activities related to wellbeing differed depending on the size of the sport, which in turn was influenced by the amount of money available within that sport. Sports which were well established with sound financial backing could engage in more activities at different time points in an athlete’s career, while smaller sports or those with less financial backing were limited in what they could do. Discussion: NSOs and PAs are increasingly recognizing the importance of athlete wellbeing. For some sports, wellbeing programs are entrenched, while for others this is an emerging space. Mental health was seen as a major issue in all sports. Future research should investigate wellbeing from other perspectives in sport, including that of athletes and other staff.
e133
tant coaches involved in the AFL. This will enhance the health, well-being and performance of these coaches and also inform important risk management policies and programs for AFL coaches. Methods: Two studies were undertaken: (i) a qualitative phenomenological study exploring the experiences of senior and assistant AFL coaches (n = 30) recruited via purposeful sampling and (ii) a quantitative study with participants (n = 80) completing surveys for the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and Job Related Tension Index (JRTI). Results: Qualitative analyses revealed that the AFL coaches discussed the pressurised workplace environment and the challenging nature of the job; the importance of development and improvement of others and self; accountabilities and responsibilities to others; advice, support and comfort from others; the ramifications of stress; lack of job security and the motivation and love for the game. In addition, quantitative results from the GHQ indicated that coaches reported generally high psychological distress during the football season. A relatively low level of personal accomplishment was identified for assistant coaches and the DASS indicated that one in 10 assistant coaches reported a moderate to extremely severe range of depression. Discussion: This project has provided information that will lead to improved knowledge of coaches’ occupational stress and of modifiable work-life balance issues for these coaches. Ultimately, this will not only enhance the health, well-being and potential performance of coaches, but this research has informed coach education programs, psychological skills training and professional education for AFL coaches in order to deal with job related stress. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2014.11.119 ASC invited 62 A copy of this abstract may be made available at a later date (not available at time of printing). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2014.11.120
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2014.11.118
63
61 Stressed at work? But we love the game: Experiences of Australian Football League coaches M. Ruddock-Hudson ∗ , S. Knights La Trobe University, Australia Background: Chronic job stress has been associated with a range of physical, psychological, social and behavioural health problems. The prevalence of occupational stress and burnout within the sporting domain has substantially increased over time among athletes and coaches at community, sub elite and elite levels of sport. Sports’ coaching is one workplace environment which has attracted interest and attention due to its stressful nature. For coaches who operate within elite sport, the pressures typically intensify in a results-orientated culture that requires considerable investment of time and resources in the search for the competitive edge. Nevertheless, research had yet to examine occupation stress with Australian Football League (AFL) coaches. Given the highly profiled nature of this workplace environment, it was important to investigate the experiences and perceptions of occupational stress, general health and work-life balance of senior and assis-
Socio-ecological predictors of participation and dropout in organised sports during childhood S. Vella ∗ , D. Cliff, A. Okely Early Start Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Australia Background: The purpose of this study was to explore the socioecological determinants of participation and dropout in organised sports in a nationally-representative sample of Australian children. Methods: Data were drawn from Waves 3 and 4 of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. In total, 4042 children aged 8.25 (SD = 0.44) years at baseline were included, with 24-months between Waves. Socio-ecological predictors were reported by parents and teachers, while cognitive and health measures were assessed by trained professionals. All predictors were assessed at age 8, and used to predict participation and dropout by age 10. Results: Seven variables at age 8 were shown to positively predict participation in organised sports at age 10. These included: sex (boy); fewer people in household; higher household income; main language spoken at home (English); higher parental education; child taken to a sporting event; and, access to a specialist PE teacher during primary school. Four variables predicted dropout
surrounded by sport science experts to help them achieve their athletic best, but there is now recognition that athletes’ offfield lives can greatly influence their on-field performance. Many national sporting organizations (NSOs) are being proactive in enhancing athlete wellbeing; however this response may not be uniform across all sports, and could even be fragmented within sports. The aim of this study was to understand what is occurring within the athlete wellbeing sphere from the perspectives of the NSOs and player associations (PAs). Methods: Within a case study design, qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with seven key individuals associated with NSOs or player associations who worked in the broad space of ‘athlete wellbeing’. Interviews lasted between 60 and 90 min, were recorded, and transcribed verbatim; participants were given the opportunity to review transcripts. Data analysis was undertaken using an inductive, data-driven approach. Results: Wellbeing was seen as all the aspects of an athlete’s life outside of sport, with recognition that off-field life impacts upon in-competition performance. Wellbeing was seen as separate to the high performance/sports science side of sport, but participants saw that it was integral to be engaged with and have ‘buy-in’ from that side, particularly from coaches. There were similar issues within wellbeing that all sports were engaged with; in particular, mental health was seen as a major issue for all sports. Other issues, such as athlete transition into and out of sport, gambling, substance use, and social media, were also seen as important. How deeply NSOs/PAs could engage in activities related to wellbeing differed depending on the size of the sport, which in turn was influenced by the amount of money available within that sport. Sports which were well established with sound financial backing could engage in more activities at different time points in an athlete’s career, while smaller sports or those with less financial backing were limited in what they could do. Discussion: NSOs and PAs are increasingly recognizing the importance of athlete wellbeing. For some sports, wellbeing programs are entrenched, while for others this is an emerging space. Mental health was seen as a major issue in all sports. Future research should investigate wellbeing from other perspectives in sport, including that of athletes and other staff.
e133
tant coaches involved in the AFL. This will enhance the health, well-being and performance of these coaches and also inform important risk management policies and programs for AFL coaches. Methods: Two studies were undertaken: (i) a qualitative phenomenological study exploring the experiences of senior and assistant AFL coaches (n = 30) recruited via purposeful sampling and (ii) a quantitative study with participants (n = 80) completing surveys for the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and Job Related Tension Index (JRTI). Results: Qualitative analyses revealed that the AFL coaches discussed the pressurised workplace environment and the challenging nature of the job; the importance of development and improvement of others and self; accountabilities and responsibilities to others; advice, support and comfort from others; the ramifications of stress; lack of job security and the motivation and love for the game. In addition, quantitative results from the GHQ indicated that coaches reported generally high psychological distress during the football season. A relatively low level of personal accomplishment was identified for assistant coaches and the DASS indicated that one in 10 assistant coaches reported a moderate to extremely severe range of depression. Discussion: This project has provided information that will lead to improved knowledge of coaches’ occupational stress and of modifiable work-life balance issues for these coaches. Ultimately, this will not only enhance the health, well-being and potential performance of coaches, but this research has informed coach education programs, psychological skills training and professional education for AFL coaches in order to deal with job related stress. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2014.11.119 ASC invited 62 A copy of this abstract may be made available at a later date (not available at time of printing). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2014.11.120
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2014.11.118
63
61 Stressed at work? But we love the game: Experiences of Australian Football League coaches M. Ruddock-Hudson ∗ , S. Knights La Trobe University, Australia Background: Chronic job stress has been associated with a range of physical, psychological, social and behavioural health problems. The prevalence of occupational stress and burnout within the sporting domain has substantially increased over time among athletes and coaches at community, sub elite and elite levels of sport. Sports’ coaching is one workplace environment which has attracted interest and attention due to its stressful nature. For coaches who operate within elite sport, the pressures typically intensify in a results-orientated culture that requires considerable investment of time and resources in the search for the competitive edge. Nevertheless, research had yet to examine occupation stress with Australian Football League (AFL) coaches. Given the highly profiled nature of this workplace environment, it was important to investigate the experiences and perceptions of occupational stress, general health and work-life balance of senior and assis-
Socio-ecological predictors of participation and dropout in organised sports during childhood S. Vella ∗ , D. Cliff, A. Okely Early Start Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Australia Background: The purpose of this study was to explore the socioecological determinants of participation and dropout in organised sports in a nationally-representative sample of Australian children. Methods: Data were drawn from Waves 3 and 4 of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. In total, 4042 children aged 8.25 (SD = 0.44) years at baseline were included, with 24-months between Waves. Socio-ecological predictors were reported by parents and teachers, while cognitive and health measures were assessed by trained professionals. All predictors were assessed at age 8, and used to predict participation and dropout by age 10. Results: Seven variables at age 8 were shown to positively predict participation in organised sports at age 10. These included: sex (boy); fewer people in household; higher household income; main language spoken at home (English); higher parental education; child taken to a sporting event; and, access to a specialist PE teacher during primary school. Four variables predicted dropout