Identifying the sources of stress and rewards in a group of Australian apprentice jockeys

Abstract

Previous stress-in-sport research has generally focused on elite athletes while overlooking the experiences of professional, paid athletes. Similarly, despite their susceptibility to chronic stress, professional athletes have rarely been examined by occupational stress researchers, and little is known about the adverse health effects of the stressors they experience. Despite the unique demands faced by jockeys, there is a paucity of research examining the incidence and impact of occupational stress on professional jockeys within the thoroughbred racing industry. This paper describes the results of a qualitative study aimed at identifying the sources of stress (demands vs. rewards) experienced by a group of Australian professional apprentice jockeys. The study also aimed to investigate whether the effort–reward imbalance (ERI) model of occupational stress can be generalised to this group of professional athletes. Thirty-five apprentice jockeys registered in an apprentice jockey training programme in an Australian capital city took part in semi-structured focus group discussions. Five major themes relating to demands emerged: time demands, role suppression, physical demands, cognitive demands and ancillary demands. Demands not only stemmed from the competitive environment, but also from the broader work environment. Five themes emerged relating to rewards: financial rewards, positive emotion, status, winning and new experiences, which generally aligned with the categories highlighted by the ERI model. Although undoubtedly a challenging career, it also emerged as an extremely rewarding vocation. For this group of apprentice jockeys, it is conceivable that the rewards outweigh the demands of the occupation.