A Questionnaire-Based Analysis of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Psychological Health of Key Stakeholders Within an Elite Sports Organization.

Abstract

To examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological health of key stakeholders within an elite UK sports organization. The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) was sent electronically to 500 employees, and 8 face-to-face interviews were conducted at an elite-level professional football club. English Premier League (EPL) Football Club. Office/stadium staff, coaching/backroom staff, players from the male U23, women's and men's senior teams. Stakeholder groups that were invited to participate in the study: office/stadium staff, coaching/backroom staff, players from the U23, women's and men's senior teams, and variables of age and gender. WEMWBS scores across the office/stadium staff, coaching/backroom staff, and player cohort. Of 122 responses (24% response rate) and 8 face-face interviews, the average WEMWBS score was 51.2 (SD ±8.4) and 14% of the cohort presented with scores suggestive of a higher risk of depression. The main findings were moderate effect size differences in WEMWBS scores with the players scoring higher than both the office/stadium staff (P = 0.01) and the coaching/backroom staff (P = 0.01). Office/stadium staff experienced greater compromising mental health effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, as compared with the coaching/backroom staff and players, respectively, suggesting that elite sports organizations should also consider providing mental health education and signposting strategies for this area of the workforce.