Читать книгу Coach’s role in building athletes’ psychological resilience. Theoretical foundations and applied methods - - Страница 6

A sportsperson’s psychological resilience is not just determined by individual and physiological factors but also through social encounters with the environment they are exposed to during training and competition. Among the social determinants of stress resilience, family support and the sporting environment play a very crucial role.

Family support is a key to the formation of motivation, self-confidence, and coping with problems [18]. Parents affect the perception of stressful experience by an athlete, his/her attitude towards wins and losses, level of self-confidence, and resistance to failure.

In sports psychology, three main models of parental influence on the development of stress resilience in young athletes have been identified (fig. 6).

Figure 6. Main models of parental influence

The emotionally detached model is one in which parents are least involved in the sporting life of a child. Different from the controlling or supportive styles, where there is a parental active involvement in the sporting life of a child through organizational or emotional support, this model is one in which parents either completely avoid the training process or do not care about the failures and achievements of the young athlete. Thereby, the kid develops some of the psychological issues that hinder their motivation, self-esteem, and ability to deal with stressful events [19].

Distantness has a number of its dire outcomes involving loss of internal motivation and external motivation. Non-reinforcement or lack of validation by the parents towards the efforts of the child denies a long-term belief that sports are worthwhile to be engaged in. Validation from elsewhere being absent, the child’s practice interest may decrease as they no longer feel their labor to be recognized and cherished by others. This has a specific impact on intrinsic motivation, which is of vital significance in sports as it decides the athlete’s capacity to continue training and overcome obstacles even in the absence of instant success.

Decreasing self-confidence is another key feature. One of the greatest influences on positive self and belief in ability is the support of parents. If parents are not interested in such sporting achievement by their child, then the child will begin questioning the importance of such achievement, therefore doing away with self-confidence and lower confidence in their capability. Lack of sufficient positive reinforcement compromises the athlete’s belief of competence, something which is very vital during pressurizing situations like competition where there needs to be high self-efficacy.

Additionally, kids raised in a culture of remote parental involvement are prone to struggle with overcoming stressful experiences. Unlike kids whose parents take an active role in helping them learn coping strategies, these athletes must look after themselves when they encounter anxiety, mood swings, and disappointment. The absence of positive conversations about failures and support during difficult moments reduces a child’s resilience in the face of psychological stress.

Another negative consequence is the feeling of emotional isolation and a decrease in attachment levels. Parents who have limited interest in their child’s sporting career can create a sense of emotional distance, which can lead to lower overall emotional resilience and self-regulation capacity. Research in sports psychology indicates that children who receive little emotional support from parents are more likely to experience frustration, anxiety, and feeling insignificant, which can influence both sporting performance and overall psychological well-being [20, 21].

Thus, a model of remote parental involvement in sport can bring about several negative consequences, including reduced motivation, self-esteem, and resistance to stress. To prevent these consequences, parents, even if they are not interested in their child’s sport, should provide at least minimal support, recognize achievements, help them overcome failures, and encourage independence in attaining their sporting objectives.

The controlling model is characterized by parental over-control in which the parents will seek to manage their child’s participation in sport in its entire form, becoming the primary organizers of training and competition. Parents employing this model are typically over-concerned with the end result of competition, are single-mindedly outcome-oriented, achievement-focussed, and place high expectations and strict success criteria. This parenting style has various psychological consequences, all of which reduce the stress resilience and well-being of young athletes.

One of the most pronounced effects of this overprotective model is increased pre-competition anxiety. Children under constant parental pressure experience significant worry before competitions, perceiving them not as an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities but as a test where failure could lead to disappointment from their parents. This results in cognitive overload, the development of irrational beliefs (“If I lose, I will no longer be supported”, “My mistakes are unacceptable”), and reduced self-confidence.

Furthermore, overprotection lowers an athlete’s level of independence and self-regulation. Parents who wish to direct every action of their child deprive them of decision-making, and as a result, they become less capable of dealing with stressful situations. In competitive situations where adaptability is a requirement, quick response, and coping with ambiguity, these players falter since they are accustomed to relying on external direction and instruction.

Another negative consequence of overprotection is the development of dependence on external evaluation. An athlete raised in an environment of constant control and high expectations begins to perceive success not as a personal achievement but as a way to fulfill their parents’ ambitions. As a result, their motivation becomes primarily external (extrinsic motivation) – they strive not for self-realization but for praise and approval. In cases of failure, such children experience deep disappointment, guilt, and a loss of motivation for further training.

Thus, the overprotective parental style in sport generates psychological barriers, not allowing for the building of stress resilience. To minimize its negative influence, it is required to redistribute the responsibility for success and failure, promote the development of intrinsically motivated behavior, and build self-confidence in athletes that is independent of external evaluation.

Supporting parental model assumes an active participation of parents in the sport activity of a child in the form of genuine interest in their successes, moral support, and reinforcement of a healthy relationship with training and competition. They do not promote outcomes but create an environment for success and failure so that the child can realize them as a process of development and living. They favor initiative, autonomy, and efforts towards self-actualization, thereby promoting intrinsic motivation, which is of central concern in long-term sport participation maintenance.

In this approach, the child is praised in failure and develop confidence through positive reinforcement of progress and effort. Interestingly, parents do not necessarily praise success but instead praise the effort that has been invested in achieving results, thus eradicating fear of failure. This approach allows the athlete to build psychological toughness, their stress tolerance is increased, and competition-induced anxiety is reduced. Besides, the supportive parenting model creates a warm emotional atmosphere, enriches the feeling of security and trust, which is crucial for a child’s self-confidence development and the ability to self-regulate.

Interaction in this model also contributes to the development of positive coping strategies for stress. Athletes who have parental support more successfully utilize cognitive and behavioral mechanisms for overcoming setbacks, adjust to high workloads with greater ease, and maintain their emotional stability even under the circumstances of high competitiveness. Parents adhering to this style not only serve as a source of emotional stability but also as a guiding force for the development of a mature and conscious attitude towards sports.

The most effective parenting style in building psychological resilience is the supportive style, whereby the parents help the athlete cope with adversity but allow the athlete decision-making autonomy and emotional independence from others.

The sports environment, including the team, training partners, and peers, has a significant impact on emotional regulation, motivation levels, and an athlete’s ability to adapt to stressful situations [22]. In sports groups, a specific social atmosphere is formed, which can either contribute to the development of stress resilience or, conversely, increase levels of anxiety and tension (fig. 7).

Figure 7. The influence of the team on an athlete’s psychological resilience

Social support, in the form of perceived togetherness in the team, harmonious relations with the team members, and support from peers, is most critical to reduce the levels of anxiety and hardiness formation. In a team, after a sportsperson is emotionally supported and viewed as being trusted by others, supportive environment is built to develop self-confidence, effort drive to surmount the failures, and positive attitude towards failure. Positive group climate and mutual understanding lower competitive tension and lower negative response to stressful conditions.

The competitive environment, in turn, can either promote an athlete’s psychological growth or lead to emotional exhaustion, depending on the level of competition and the nature of interpersonal interactions. A positive competitive atmosphere provokes athletes to self-develop, achieve self-regulation skills, and be goal-oriented. However, exaggerated intensification of competitive pressure, generating conflicts, interpersonal tension, and constant comparison with others, can reduce self-confidence, induce anxiety, and hinder successful recovery after failure. To provide the optimal level of motivation, it is necessary that teams adopt clear principles of competitive interaction, eliminating aggressive competition and fostering respect and mutual support for athletes.

Leadership within the team also plays a crucial role in shaping psychological resilience. The influence of high self-regulation, stress resistance, and confidence of master athletes has a major impact on the psychological state of less competent athletes. Such models allow less competent athletes to build healthy coping strategies, improve self-esteem, and improve intrinsic motivation.

Thus, team climate exerts a significant influence on the psychological resilience of an athlete. A balanced combination of social support, positive competitive climate, and effective leadership assists in strengthening psychological flexibility, creating self-confidence, and developing stable mechanisms of self-regulation ensuring high-level sporting performance.