Küttel Andreas, Storm Louise K, Stambulova Natalia, Henriksen Kristoffer
Department of Sport Sciences and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
School of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden.
Front Sports Act Living. 2024 Nov 27;6:1451617. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1451617. eCollection 2024.
Numerous factors have been identified that potentially influence athletes' mental health. Given the predominant focus in the literature on athletes' mental health risk factors, our study aimed to explore elite athletes' perceptions of factors associated with their mental health and thriving based on the combination of holistic developmental and ecological approaches.
Seven Danish international elite athletes representing diverse sports were interviewed twice. The initial interview delved into their retrospective perspectives on career and mental health development, while the subsequent interview, conducted two months later, centered on recent events.
Thematic analysis yielded a map outlining four overarching themes. Elite sport was perceived as a (1) marked by rigorous demands, which evoked (2) among athletes characterized by heightened expectations, self-blame, and anxiety. In response to these challenging demands, athletes have cultivated (3) over the course of their careers, such as self-reflection, emphasis on recovery, planning and prioritization skills, and passion for their sport. Nonetheless, the development of these resources and strategies was a gradual process, often informed by past experiences of mental health difficulties during adolescence. Additionally, they have found support for their mental health within a (4) consisting of supportive coaching, camaraderie among teammates, guidance from experts, and caring relationships.
The findings of this study highlight the complex interplay of factors affecting mental health and emphasize the need for creating supportive environments that help athletes manage the intense demands of elite sport.
已确定众多可能影响运动员心理健康的因素。鉴于文献主要关注运动员的心理健康风险因素，我们的研究旨在基于整体发展和生态方法的结合，探索精英运动员对与其心理健康和茁壮成长相关因素的看法。
对七位代表不同运动项目的丹麦国际精英运动员进行了两次访谈。初次访谈深入探讨了他们对职业生涯和心理健康发展的回顾性观点，而两个月后进行的后续访谈则围绕近期事件展开。
主题分析得出了一个概述四个总体主题的图谱。精英运动被视为（1）以严格要求为特征，这在以期望过高、自责和焦虑为特征的运动员中引发了（2）。为应对这些具有挑战性的要求，运动员在其职业生涯中培养了（3），如自我反思、对恢复的重视、规划和优先级排序技能以及对其运动项目的热情。然而，这些资源和策略的发展是一个渐进的过程，通常受到青少年时期心理健康困难的过往经历的影响。此外，他们在一个由支持性教练、队友间的情谊、专家指导和关爱关系组成的（4）中找到了对其心理健康的支持。
本研究的结果突出了影响心理健康的因素之间复杂的相互作用，并强调需要营造支持性环境，以帮助运动员应对精英运动的高强度要求。
