The organisational stressors encountered by athletes with a disability

Abstract

Organisational stressors have been found to be prevalent and problematic for sport performers, with research identifying demographic differences in the stressors encountered. Nevertheless, extant sport psychology research on the topic of stress has generally focused on able-bodied athletes; whilst that which has been conducted on performers with a disability has typically recruited relatively small samples to explore a narrow selection of organisational stressors, or examined other components of the stress process. The purpose of the present study was to explore the various organisational stressors that athletes with a disability encounter. The sample comprised 18 elite athletes with a disability (10 male, 8 female) who had a classified disability and experience of competing at a major championships in their sport (e.g., Paralympic Games, World Championships). Participants took part in a semi-structured interview which was analysed by drawing from grounded theory procedures. A total of 316 organisational stressors were identified, which were abstracted into 31 concepts and four, previously conceptualised, exploratory schemes: leadership and personnel issues, cultural and team issues, logistical and environmental issues, and performance and personal issues. This study not only provides the first illustration of the prevalence of organisational stressors for athletes with a disability, but also significantly points to salient similarities and distinct differences between the stress experiences of performers with and without a disability.

Development and validation of the Wheelchair Imagery Ability Questionnaire (WIAQ) for use in wheelchair sports

“…These included, but were not limited to, issues with inaccessible venues, lack of disability specific coaching and training opportunities, lack of crowds at disability events and the disability classification system. Additionally, Arnold et al (2017) supported the claims of others (e.g., Dieffenbach & Statler, 2012) indicating that despite an interest in sport psychology support, lack of access to a psychologist is a further stressor for AWD. Arnold et al (2017) made a call for service providers and psychologists to consider creative ways to support AWD and develop and implement "appropriate and impactful, evidence based stress management interventions" (p.1195).…”

“…The current research addresses the call for more research in the area of applied sport psychology specifically focusing on the needs and practices within disability sport, including making available more appropriate modified measures for AWD (e.g. Arnold et al, 2017). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that outlines the development and validation as well as the application of a measure solely for the use with a wheelchair population making use of BSEM analysis.…”

A Commentary and Reflections on the Field of Organizational Sport Psychology

“…Randall et al observe that the majority of extant intervention research reflects secondary stress management interventions, focused on the development of psychological resources (see Didymus & Fletcher, 2017;Rumbold, Fletcher, & Daniels, 2012). As research indicates that organizational stressors are prevalent and pervasive (Arnold, Wagstaff, Steadman, & Pratt, 2017), and commonly appraised as threatening or harmful and largely uncontrollable (see Hanton et al, 2012), it might be that some organizational stressors in sport are not readily amenable to primary intervention; that some organizational stressors might be unavoidable (cf. Fletcher, Hanton, & Mellalieu, 2006).…”

Taking Stock of Organizational Psychology in Sport

“…Most recently, a first edited collection of lines of inquiry within organizational sport psychology was published (Wagstaff, 2017a) and provided a four-category organizing structure to align extant and potential future lines of inquiry within the field. This organizing structure for research and application was based on four complementary areas: emotions and attitudes (e.g., Hings, Wagstaff, Anderson, Gilmore, & Thelwell, 2018;Wagstaff et al, 2012b;Wagstaff, Hanton, & Fletcher, 2013;Wagstaff & Hanton, 2017), stress and well-being (e.g., Arnold & Fletcher, 2012;Arnold, Fletcher, & Daniels, 2013;Arnold, Wagstaff, Steadman, & Pratt, 2017;Fletcher, Hanton, & Mellalieu, 2006;Larner, Wagstaff, Thelwell, & Corbett, 2017), organizational behavior (e.g., Aoyagi, Cox, & McGuire, 2008;Arthur, Wagstaff, & Hardy, 2017;Fletcher & Arnold, 2011), and high-performance environments (e.g., Henriksen & Stambulova, 2017;Jones, Gittins, & Hardy, & Hardy, 2009;Martin, Eys, & Spink, 2017;Pain, Harwood, & Mullen, 2012). Collectively, this work has contributed to a burgeoning body of research examining organizational life in sport and showcased the salience and utility of organizational sport psychology as a field of research and practice.…”