Stress mindset in athletes: Investigating the relationships between beliefs, challenge and threat with psychological wellbeing

Mansell, Paul C. (2021) Stress mindset in athletes: Investigating the relationships between beliefs, challenge and threat with psychological wellbeing. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 57. ISSN 1543-2904

Text Full Paper V10.docx - AUTHOR'S ACCEPTED Version (default) Available under License All Rights Reserved. Download (338kB)

Abstract or description

Objective: Stress is omnipresent in daily life and can be acutely experienced by athletes due to additional circumstances such as deselection and injury. Trait beliefs athletes have about the stress they experience as well as the cognitive appraisals of this stress may be important in determining psychological wellbeing. The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between stress mindset, irrational beliefs, cognitive appraisals and psychological wellbeing in athletes using path analysis. Broadly speaking, it was hypothesised that stress mindset
would relate negatively to depressive symptoms and positively to vitality through appraisals (i.e., challenge and threat), while irrational beliefs would relate to positively to depressive symptoms and negatively to vitality through appraisals.

Methods: 415 athletes (227 females, Mage = 33.86 years, SD = 17.73) completed an online questionnaire pack assessing stress mindset, irrational beliefs, challenge and threat appraisals, depressive symptoms, and vitality. Using path analysis, the tested hypothesised model demonstrated an excellent fit to the data.

Results: Findings demonstrate that the relationships between stress mindset, irrational beliefs and psychological wellbeing is linked by direct and indirect effects of challenge and threat in athletes. Stress mindset was positively associated with challenge and negatively associated with threat, whilst self-depreciation and awfulizing demonstrated significant positive associations with threat. Self-depreciation was found to significantly relate to stress mindset, challenge, threat and depressive symptoms to a greater extent than the other types of irrational
beliefs.
Conclusions: Findings suggest practitioners should be aware of the role that stress mindset and other irrational beliefs have in potentially influencing athlete psychological wellbeing.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Manuscript has been published online as Ahead of Print: Accepted author manuscript version reprinted, by permission, from Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.102020. © Human Kinetics, Inc.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Irrational beliefs Depressive symptoms Appraisals Psychological wellbeing Stress mindset
Faculty:	School of Life Sciences and Education > Sport and Exercise
Depositing User:	Paul MANSELL
Date Deposited:	29 Nov 2022 16:12
Last Modified:	24 Feb 2023 14:04
URI:	https://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/id/eprint/7517

Available Versions of this Item

• Stress mindset in athletes: Investigating the relationships between beliefs, challenge and threat with psychological wellbeing. (deposited 29 Nov 2022 16:12) [Currently Displayed]

Actions (login required)

View Item