Abstract
Competitive female athletes perceive their hormonal cycles to affect their training, competition performance and overall well-being. Despite this, athletes rarely discuss hormonal-cycle-related issues with others. The aim of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the perceptions and experiences of endurance athletes and their coaches in relation to barriers to athlete–coach communication about female hormonal cycles. Thirteen Swedish national-/international-level female cross-country skiers (age 25.8 ± 3.6 y) and eight of their coaches (two women and six men; age 47.8 ± 7.5 y) completed an online survey relating to their educational background, prior knowledge about female hormonal cycles and a coach–athlete relationship questionnaire (CART-Q). They then participated in an online education session about female hormonal cycles and athletic performance before participating in semi-structured focus-group interviews. Thematic analyses revealed three main barriers to communication: knowledge, interpersonal, and structural. In addition, the results suggested that a good coach–athlete relationship may facilitate open communication about female hormonal cycles, while low levels of knowledge may hinder communication. To overcome the perceived barriers to communication, a model is proposed to improve knowledge, develop interpersonal relationships and strengthen structural systems through educational exchanges and forums for open discussion.
Highlights
Research suggests that a strong coach–athlete relationship is an important factor for success in elite sports [1]
Twelve of the thirteen female athletes in the present study stated that they had spoken to a coach about the menstrual cycle (MC) or hormonal contraceptive (HC) at least once during the previous year
The main findings were that the 13 female athletes and 8 coaches (2 women, 6 men) experienced knowledge, interpersonal and structural barriers when discussing the female hormonal cycle
Summary
Research suggests that a strong coach–athlete relationship is an important factor for success in elite sports [1]. Jowett and Ntoumanis [4] identified three interpersonal constructs that describe the coach–athlete relationship, which have been termed the 3Cs: commitment (interpersonal thoughts; motivation to maintain a close relationship over time), closeness (interpersonal feelings; mutual respect, trust, appreciation and liking for one another) and complementarity (interpersonal behaviors; leadership and co-ordination). Previous research has shown that athletes participating in individual sports experience greater levels of commitment, closeness and complementarity with their coaches compared with team-sport athletes [5]. Lorimer and Jowett [6] observed a better empathic understanding among athletes and coaches from individual versus team sports. The coach–athlete relationship may be strengthened, with the athlete perceiving the coach as more reliable and trustworthy [1]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
