Reflection and Cognitive Appraisals of Stress in Sport Coaches

Sport coaching can be stressful as coaches are subject to a wide range of demands. Although coaches often report negative experiences of stress, they can also respond in useful ways. The current body of work examined the roles of cognitive appraisal and reflection in coaches’ experiences of stress. As part of a pragmatic approach, mixed methods were used to study reflection and cognitive appraisals across a variety of coaching contexts. First, a cross-sectional study examined relationships between cognitive appraisals and coaching behaviours. This was followed by three qualitative studies to better understand how coaches’ cognitive appraisals influenced their responses to stress and explore the role of reflection as a strategy to facilitate useful responses. In addition, a book chapter proposes an original reflective process designed to encourage thriving under pressure. To interpret the collective findings, this critical appraisal used contemporary challenge and threat theory (Jones et al., 2009; Meijen et al., 2020) as an explanatory framework. Quantitative results showed that coaches who appraised stressors as a challenge were more likely to offer social support, whereas coaches who appraised stressors as a threat were more likely to be autocratic and less likely to offer positive feedback. Qualitative findings revealed how coaches evaluated situational demands in terms of potential psychological danger such as anxiety and pressure. Coaches appraised their ability to meet these demands through resources such as self-efficacy and social support. Reflection facilitated coaches’ resource perceptions through an enhanced awareness of their knowledge, skills, and experiences. However, reflection could lead to rumination and consequently exacerbate coaches’ experiences of stress. The current research offers novel explanations of the mediating role of cognitive appraisals in coaches’ varied responses to stress. Practical applications include the use of reflection to reframe situational demands and enhance resource perceptions.