The sporting resilience model: A systematic review of resilience in sport performers

Abstract

We systematically reviewed resilience research in sport and exercise psychology. Sample included 92 studies comprising empirical qualitative and quantitative studies, mixed-method studies, review studies and conceptual/theoretical studies on psychological resilience in sports context. From the findings, we synthesized an evidence-based sport-specific definition and meta-model of “Sporting Resilience.” The review incorporates evidence from global culture contexts and evidence synthesized into the new definition and meta-model to achieve its aim. Conceptual detail and testability of the operational definition is provided. Sporting resilience provides a guiding framework for research and applied practice in a testable, objective manner. The new theoretical meta-model of resilience is derived from systematic evidence from sport psychology with theoretical considerations from positive and clinical psychology allowing generalizability. This original theory posits that there is a resilience filter comprised of biopsychosocial protective factors. The strength of this filter determines the impact of adversity and establishes the trajectory of positive adaptation. The findings of the review are used to discuss potential avenues of future research for psychological resilience in sports psychology.Systematic review registrationhttps://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/AFWRU.

“You don’t get resilience overnight”: A Grounded theory framework of the A-R-C Sporting Resilience Development

“…This buttresses literature indicating that the components of the protective lter do not represent a xed rank hierarchy (Gupta & McCarthy, 2022) and are subjectively evaluated to gauge centrality of the biopsychosocial resources (Sarkar & Fletcher, 2014;Thelwell et al, 2007). This directly consequents to the "Engine of Sporting Resilience".…”

“…Fletcher and Sarkar (2012) de ned resilience in sport as "the role of mental processes and behavior in promoting personal assets and protecting an individual from the potential negative effect of stressors" (p. 675). Recently, a large-scale systematic review of 92 articles from various cultural contexts and designs highlighted that sporting resilience includes dynamic trajectories, environmentally adaptable metacognitive, emotional and behavioural capacities to positively adapt (Gupta & McCarthy, 2022). These de nitions highlight the existing work in highlighting the process and trait aspects of resilience (Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012; and contextualise it in a sport context by extending conceptual work through incorporating empirically evidenced components from extant literature (cf.…”

“…The past decade has seen a sharp uptake in scholarly publications on psychological resilience in sports psychology (cf. systematic reviews Bryan et al, 2017;Gupta & McCarthy, 2022). High-level athletes experience an extensive range of adversities (Tamminen et al, 2013) such as injuries (Podlog & Eklund, 2006), performance slumps (Dugdale et al, 2002) and other stressors which depreciate athlete mental health and performance (Papathomas & Lavallee, 2012).…”

“…"whenever you get a young person who's just sort of starting out, who does not have that perspective and I am not sure there is any way to accelerate that other than emm… you can be told to the how to put things in perspective but I am not sure you do that until you actually do it yourself …It's almost better to get that out The dynamic nature of sporting resilience contributes to a building process of Antecedent Protective Filter i.e. biopsychosocial resources that precede the outcome of resilient behaviour and determines to what extent adversities impact individuals con rming theorisation byGupta and McCarthy (2022). As Participant "Golf" state (seeAppendix A.4) …”

“…Participants also supported the metacognitive process proposed byFletcher and Sarkar (2012) with Participant 'Daredevil' noting, "what I'd say is my most resilient moment… turning a negative thing into a challenge… the change I went through, talking to myself, my con dence all combined to help me do that" (Participant Daredevil) This engine of sporting resilience produces two process trajectories of sporting resilience to isolated adversity encounters i.e. "minimal-impact trajectory" and "emergent resilience trajectory"(Bonanno & Diminich, 2013, p. 380;Gupta & McCarthy, 2022). Participants noted that the nature of adversity in terms of controllability, severity and their resilience capacity at the time determines the process trajectory.…”