Cardiff Metropolitan University
Browse

Enhancing wellbeing, long-term development, and performance in youth sport: Insights from experienced applied sport psychologists working with young athletes in the United Kingdom

Download (1.14 MB)
journal contribution
posted on 2023-11-02, 16:03 authored by Sam N. Thrower, Jamie B. Barker, Adam M. Bruton, Pete Coffee, Jennifer Cumming, Chris G. Harwood, Karen HowellsKaren Howells, Camilla J. Knight, Paul J. McCarthy, Stephen MellalieuStephen Mellalieu

Although applied sport psychologists are supporting young athletes drawing on experiential evidence of what works, there is a lack of understanding regarding how to effectively help young athletes enhance their wellbeing, long-term development, and performance. The aim of the current study was to gain insights into the consultancy process from accredited applied sport psychologists working with young athletes (5–18 years) in the United Kingdom, to inform the training and development of practitioners. An Interpretive Descriptive (ID) design was used to generate grounded knowledge relevant to applied practice contexts. The current study was conducted by a British Psychological Society (BPS), Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology (DSEP), research working group and consisted of two phases: First, working group members (n = 6) participated in two separate focus groups. Second, in-depth interviews were conducted with UK-based sport psychology practitioners (n = 9) who had extensive knowledge and experience of working with young athletes. Reflexive thematic analysis generated six higher order themes: (a) Clear intentions, motives, and boundaries; (b) flexible and adaptable theoretical approaches; (c) seeking and securing connections; (d) multiple perspectives matter; (e) indirect interventions maximize impact; and (f) adaptation and integration determine Psychological Skills Training (PST) effectiveness. The current study offers unique and detailed insights regarding the consultancy process when working with young athletes. Such insights are crucial for applied sport psychologists to promote evidence-informed developmentally appropriate practice.

Funding

This work was supported by the BPS DSEP research working groups initiative

History

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Citation

Thrower, S., Barker, J., Bruton, A., Coffee, P., Cumming, J., Harwood, C., Howells, K., Knight, C., McCarthy, P. and Mellalieu, S. (2023) 'Enhancing wellbeing, long-term development, and performance in youth sport: insights from experienced applied sport psychologists working with young athletes in the United Kingdom', Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2023.2274464

Print ISSN

1041-3200

Electronic ISSN

1533-1571

Cardiff Met Affiliation

  • Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences

Cardiff Met Authors

Karen Howells Stephen Mellalieu

Cardiff Met Research Centre/Group

  • Mental Health and Wellbeing in Demanding Environments

Copyright Holder

  • © The Authors

Language

  • en

Usage metrics

    Culture, Policy and Professional Practice - Journal Articles

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC