Sporting Resilience During COVID-19: What Is the Nature of This Adversity and How Are Competitive Elite Athletes Adapting?

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health issue which has severely disrupted and deferred several landmark international sporting competitions. Like the general population, athletes have faced direct psychological consequences from COVID-19 in addition to cancelation of events, loss of support, lack of training, loss of earnings, hypervigilance, and anxiety among others. The aim of the present research was to identify the adversity experiences of athletes caused by COVID-19 (study 1) and explore the process of resilience used by competitive elite athletes for positive adaptation (study 2). Research has indicated psychological resilience to be a protective factor against similar adversities in the sporting context. The study uses an across-cases qualitative design comparing the real-time lived experiences of athletes during COVID-19 using narrative analysis. Data were collected from 10 competitive elite athletes from various countries, as part of a larger doctoral dissertation study during the lockdown period, using in-depth experiential interviews. Study 1 presents detailed narratives on the loss and incongruence, which were the two major adversities experienced. Study 2 outlines the process of resilience as narrated by the participants through the emergent and minimal-impact resilience trajectories. We discuss recommendations for interventions and the role of sports psychologists, coaches, and sporting organizations in ensuring athletes’ mental health and their rehabilitation into post-COVID sports life.

Exploring the Perceived Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Social Distancing Measures on Athlete Wellbeing: A Qualitative Study Utilising Photo-Elicitation

“…There is an emerging evidence base that focuses on exploring the psychological implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on athletes, in response to the suggestion that athletes experience additional mental health risk factors compared to the non-athletic population ( Schinke et al, 2018 ). Athletes have expressed substantial grief and frustration in response to this enforced period of isolation, disruption to normal training routines and competition cancellation ( Pillay et al, 2020 ; Toresdahl and Asif, 2020 ; Gupta and McCarthy, 2021 ). These preliminary findings suggest that some pandemic mitigation strategies such as lockdowns, could be having an adverse effect on the mental health and wellbeing of athletes ( Mann et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Specifically, physical deconditioning, worsening nutrition, uncertainty on return to sport, and disruptions to social interaction, training, and sleep patterns ( Pillay et al, 2020 ) were associated with increased depression, anxiety and stress symptoms ( Facer-Childs et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, in a recent study exploring adversity and resilience in athletes during COVID-19, athletes reported tangible losses with regards to their sport, support networks and athletic identity, and a sense of incongruence as a result of the dissonance between the usual structured, goal directed environment they were accustomed to, and the relatively aimless lockdown scenario presented by COVID-19 ( Gupta and McCarthy, 2021 ). The incongruence experienced due to the lack of agency during the pandemic, resulted in psychological distress, ruminations, negative emotions and loss of motivation.…”

“…If we consider COVID-19 as a career development barrier from a holistic developmental perspective ( Wylleman, 2019 ), it suggests substantial changes to athletes athletic development (e.g., closed sports facilities, postponed and cancelled competitions), psychological health (e.g., threatened athletic identity), psychosocial aspects (e.g., social isolation, worries about significant others), academic-vocational responsibilities (e.g., change in focus to education or work), financial concerns (e.g., funding cuts) and changing legal developments (e.g., restrictions on movement). Indeed, Gupta and McCarthy (2021) suggested that if social isolation is conceptualised as an abrupt diversion in an athlete’s career, it could trigger dissociations from their athletic identity and negatively impact wellbeing. Athletes often have a strong sense of identity that is derived from their participation in sport ( Sparkes, 1998 ) and when this sporting platform is removed through injury or retirement, they lose access to vital resources and support networks which can result in threats to their wellbeing ( Jewett et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Athletes often have a strong sense of identity that is derived from their participation in sport ( Sparkes, 1998 ) and when this sporting platform is removed through injury or retirement, they lose access to vital resources and support networks which can result in threats to their wellbeing ( Jewett et al, 2019 ). Preliminary findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns have presented athletes with a similar experience to that of forced retirement ( Jewett et al, 2019 ; Park et al, 2013 ) and recommendations to support athletes using career transition and/or chronic injury psychological rehabilitation research as an intervention has been advocated ( Gupta and McCarthy, 2021 ).…”

The Role of Mental Resilience and Intrinsic Motivation on Athletes' Resilience During the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Pada konteks olahraga, resiliensi olahraga adalah proses dinamis dalam beradaptasi dengan lingkungan, interaksi dominan, yang mencakup kapasitas metakognitif-emosionalperilaku individu olahraga untuk mempertahankan keseimbangan positif dan berhasil beradaptasi dengan beragam kesulitan terkait olahraga [7]. Akademisi telah memberikan pendekatan tentang bagaimana resiliensi digunakan atau dapat digunakan dalam menanggapi gangguan yang disebabkan oleh Covid-19 [8], [9].…”