Psychological well-being in performance coaches: a theoretical perspective

© JPES. Problem Statement: Sports coaches work inuncontrollable, complex, and ever-changingenvironments that exertnumerous demands, which together can affect psychological well-being. The stressors faced by sport coaches at varying competitive levels, and the coping methods they employ to mitigate these stressors have received considerable attention in the literature. However, factors contributing to psychological well-being, scaffolded bytheoretical models, have not been fully elucidated. Purpose:The purpose of this narrative review was to outline and discuss the main theoretical models that have been used to assess psychological well-being in sport coaches. Approach: Included studies were original research using theoretical models to assess psychological well-being in sport coaches of mixed competitive backgrounds. A major focus of this review was studies involving ‘self-determination theory’, published to July 2020. Results: Reviewed studies revealed that basic psychological needs satisfaction, lack of basic psychological needs thwarting and self-determined motivation, contribute to higher levels of psychological well-being in sport coaches. Working conditions, workload and social agents within the coaching environment also play pivotal roles in influencing a coach’s psychological well-being. Conclusions: Supporting the psychological needs of coaches and instilling feelings of personal accomplishment is therefore a priority in maintaining high levels of psychological well-being and decreasing susceptibility to burnout, while ultimately preserving coach performance and retention. To better understand coach well-being, a clearer distinction of well-being at distinct levels of competition and experience is required, along with further investigation of well-being in female sport coaches, and the development of broader conceptual theory.