Psychological Distress and Psychosocial Factors in the Non-Formal Context of Basketball Coaches in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

César Torres-Martín,Inmaculada Alemany-Arrebola,Ángel Custodio Mingorance-Estrada,Manuel Enrique Lorenzo-Martín

doi:10.3390/ijerph18168722

César Torres-Martín, Inmaculada Alemany-Arrebola + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168722

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Abstract

Psychological distress and psychosocial factors are studied in the sports context in players of various specialties, but are only little studied with coaches who carry out their work with these athletes; that is where we put the emphasis, trying to determine the perception of coaches on psychological distress and psychosocial risk factors that may influence their sports work in times of a pandemic. It is an ex post facto study with a single-group retrospective design, with a representative sample of 94 coaches out of a possible 109. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale and the short version of the ISTAS21 Psychosocial Risk Assessment at Work Questionnaire were adapted to the sports context. The results show that the youngest, those with the least experience and level 1 and level 2 coaches show the highest levels of stress. According to the psychosocial risk assessment, level 1 and 2 coaches, with experience between 6 to 10 years, are in the risk zone. Therefore, it is important to work with a group of coaches who are in the psychosocial risk zone and with high levels of psychological discomfort in order to avoid mental, emotional and physical stress, for the good performance of their work in the best possible conditions.

Highlights

The first works on stress were published in the 1930s [1,2], and since there has been a great deal of research that justifies its relationship with psychosocial factors and health disorders, which are increased when trying to achieve improvements in performance, being a multifactorial concept that must be understood globally and encompass all athletes, and players and athletes, as it encompasses factors such as knowledge and physical, tactical, technical, psychological and social practice to provide effective responses to competitive situations
This research focuses on determining the level of psychological risks and analyzing the psychosocial risks of basketball coaches in their professional development during the current 2020–2021 season characterized by the COVID-19 pandemic conditions
After using the adapted Psychological Distress scale and the Psychosocial Risk Assessment Questionnaire in Non-Formal Contexts with basketball coaches in the province of Granada (Spain) in the development of their sports work during the current 2020–2021 season characterized by the COVID-19 pandemic, we conclude the following: In terms of the Psychological Distress scale, the scores were related to the age of the coaches and their years of experience, with the youngest and those with less experience showing the highest levels of stress

Summary

Introduction

The first works on stress were published in the 1930s [1,2], and since there has been a great deal of research that justifies its relationship with psychosocial factors and health disorders, which are increased when trying to achieve improvements in performance, being a multifactorial concept that must be understood globally and encompass all athletes (coaches, players, athletes . . . ), and players and athletes, as it encompasses factors such as knowledge and physical, tactical, technical, psychological and social practice to provide effective responses to competitive situations.In 1984, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), through a Mixed Committee, systematically analyzed the progress of studies on psychosocial factors at work, and concluded the perceptions and experiences of employees to that effect identified in the interactions of work and its environment, job satisfaction and conditions of the entity, as well as the qualities of the workers and their needs, culture and personal situations outside of work.Currently, the nature of these studies in work contexts in general is a growing concern [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. The first works on stress were published in the 1930s [1,2], and since there has been a great deal of research that justifies its relationship with psychosocial factors and health disorders, which are increased when trying to achieve improvements in performance, being a multifactorial concept that must be understood globally and encompass all athletes ), and players and athletes, as it encompasses factors such as knowledge and physical, tactical, technical, psychological and social practice to provide effective responses to competitive situations. In 1984, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), through a Mixed Committee, systematically analyzed the progress of studies on psychosocial factors at work, and concluded the perceptions and experiences of employees to that effect identified in the interactions of work and its environment, job satisfaction and conditions of the entity, as well as the qualities of the workers and their needs, culture and personal situations outside of work.

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Conclusion