Sources of acute competitive stress and use of coping strategies as a function of age and gender

Abstract

The main purpose of this investigation was to examine sources of acute stress and related coping processes following stressful events in competitive sport for 65 adult (37 males and 28 females), and 74 adolescent (39 males and 35 females) athletes. The sources of intense acute stress and concomitant “typical” coping responses following acute Stressors were identified. MANOVA indicated that stress intensity was a function of the type of stressful event. For example, males and adults experienced significantly higher acute stress intensity than females and adolescents, respectively, following performance-related Stressors (e.g., making a physical or mental error). However, females reported higher stress intensity than males for the Stressor, social evaluation; adolescents were more stressed than adults due to events related to the actions of others (e.g., coach and parents hassling or criticizing, spectators booing). Chi-square analyses indicated significant age and gender differences in the frequency with which selected coping strategies were used as a function of the Stressor. For example, males preferred problem-focused coping and females used emotionfocused coping after the Stressors, experiencing pain and injury, being intimidated by opponents, and parental criticism. However, emotion-focused coping was more common among adolescent males than adolescent females in response to a cheating opponent. Age, gender, and characteristics about the stressful event, supporting the transactional coping model, should jointly be taken into consideration when investigating the coping process in sport. Implications of these results include the need for coaches and parents to be cautious in their communication style when providing critical feedback on performance. In addition, since younger athletes use maladaptive coping skills more often than older-aged competitors, they are more susceptible to both acute and chronic forms of stress in sport. Examining the manner in which the coping process changes from adolescence to adulthood following stressful events in competitive sport clearly warrants further study.