Trabucchi Pietro, Pellegrini Barbara, Savoldelli Aldo, Giacoma Gianandrea, Vergine Ilaria, Galimberti Carlo, Garofalo Sara, Schena Federico
CERISM, Centro Ricerca Interuniversitario Sport Montagna e Salute, Rovereto, Italy.
Department of Engineering for Innovation in Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
PLoS One. 2025 Sep 12;20(9):e0332058. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0332058. eCollection 2025.
To date, no studies have proposed specific taxonomies of stressors and coping strategies used to manage them by ultra trail runners in races longer than 200 miles, with existing research focusing on significantly shorter distances an then on challenges that could be of a different nature. The aim of this study was to fill this gap by developing specific taxonomies that would group both the stressors encountered and the coping strategies into distinct conceptual categories. Furthermore, to observe in a real competition if these taxonomies allows the evaluation of the coping strategies used by athletes. Two Focus Groups composed of experts on the topic proposed provisional classifications, which were analysed using Applied Thematic Analysis. Three distinct Draft Taxonomies were identified: typical stressors, functional and dysfunctional coping strategies used by athletes during competitions. A critical comparison between the provisional taxonomies and literature led to the development of three definitive taxonomies. In a second phase, to verify whether the taxonomies reflected the real experiences of runners, seven participants in a 280-mile race were interviewed daily during the event. Their responses regarding the stressors and the strategies they had implemented to deal with them were recorded. Expert panelists categorized the transcribed responses according to the proposed taxonomies. The concordance of the judgments, verified with the Fleiss K, was considered a measure of the taxonomies' ability to capture real experiences. Results confirmed substantial agreement between the raters regarding both the stressors (K = 0.711, p < 0.001) and the coping strategies (K = 0.73, p < 0.001). The analysis of the proportion between the use of functional and dysfunctional strategies proved to be high (between 0.66 and 1) among athletes who completed more than 50% of the race. The taxonomies were found to effectively described athletes' race experiences, revealing context-specific coping strategies likely developed through years of practice.
迄今为止，尚无研究针对超过200英里赛程的超级越野跑者所面临的压力源及用于应对这些压力源的应对策略提出具体分类法，现有研究主要聚焦于距离短得多的赛程，以及性质可能不同的挑战。本研究的目的是通过开发特定分类法来填补这一空白，该分类法将把所遇到的压力源和应对策略归为不同的概念类别。此外，在实际比赛中观察这些分类法是否能用于评估运动员所采用的应对策略。由该主题专家组成的两个焦点小组提出了临时分类，然后使用应用主题分析法进行分析。确定了三种不同的分类草案：运动员在比赛期间使用的典型压力源、功能性和功能失调性应对策略。通过对临时分类与文献的批判性比较，得出了三种最终分类法。在第二阶段，为了验证这些分类法是否反映了跑步者的真实经历，在一场280英里比赛中，对7名参赛者在比赛期间每天进行访谈。记录他们关于压力源以及为应对压力源所采取策略的回答。专家小组成员根据所提出的分类法对转录的回答进行分类。用Fleiss K检验判断的一致性，以此作为分类法捕捉真实经历能力的一种衡量标准。结果证实，评分者在压力源（K = 0.711，p < 0.001）和应对策略（K = 0.73，p < 0.001）方面达成了实质性共识。在完成超过50%赛程的运动员中，功能性和功能失调性策略使用比例的分析结果显示该比例较高（在0.66至1之间）。研究发现这些分类法有效地描述了运动员的比赛经历，揭示了可能通过多年实践形成的特定情境下的应对策略。
