This study examined 235 American high-school football coaches' attitudes toward sport psychology (SP) consultation, intentions to use SP, and actual use of SP services. The coaches' attitudinal data fit the a priori hypothesized four factor model (i.e., stigma tolerance, confidence in SP consultation, personal openness, and cultural preferences). Of the coaches surveyed, 13% reported being familiar with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) certification for SP consultants, 3% had used SP services, and 62% did not intend to use SP services within the next six months. Past coaching experience, age, and education level influenced their stigma tolerance, confidence, and personal openness of using SP services. American high-school football coaches who were confident in SP outcomes and open to suggestions were more likely to consider using SP services.

No abstract

Sport exposes athletes to attributes that are typically associated with traditional masculine traits (e.g., individualism, competitiveness, aggressiveness, power). Female athletes often participate in sport using standards of traditional male athleticism, yet at the same time attempt to manage societal expectations of conforming to traditional femininity. By exploring conformity to gender norms in sport, we examined the relationship between gender norms, sport participation, and perceptions of body image among 143 female student-athletes and nonathletes. Results indicated that female student-athletes and nonathlete female college students did not differ in level of conformity to feminine norms; however, female student-athletes reported higher levels of conformity to masculine norms, particularly traditional masculine norms associated with sport participation (i.e., winning, risk taking). Additionally, participation in athletics did not significantly predict body esteem for women. Instead, conformity to three traditional gender norms–along with self-perceptions of being overweight–accounted for 53% of the variance in body esteem. Results are discussed in regard to past research and clinical applications.

Although there appears to be greater acceptance and use of sport psychology (SP), fully integrating SP consultants and services into college athletic programs has yet to occur in most institutions. Decisions to initiate, continue, or terminate SP services are often made by coaches. Therefore, college coaches with access to services were interviewed to explore their beliefs and expectations about SP service use and how an SP consultant could work effectively with them and their athletes. Using consensual qualitative research methods, three domains in coaches’ perceptions of SP consultants were revealed: who they are, what they do, and how they do it. Findings illustrate the importance of being “on the same page” with coaches, developing self-reliant athletes, and making an impact while remaining in a supporting role.

Female student athletes often desire a muscular body to be successful in sport, but this body type does not conform to traditional cultural norms of femininity. In this study, the authors qualitatively examined the experiences of female intercollegiate volleyball players to better understand their beliefs about their bodies—both as athletes and as women outside of sport—in addition to whether perceptions about their revealing sports uniforms were related to body image. Results indicated that body image among female student athletes is a multidimensional construct. Participants reported conflicting messages about their bodies in regard to how they look on the court and how they are supposed to look off the court. In addition, results suggested that revealing uniforms contributed to decreased body esteem, and these uniforms also distracted players and impacted on-court performance. Results are interpreted within the framework of objectification theory, and implications for psychologists working with female student athletes are provided.