The influences of athletes’ stress appraisals on health, well-being, and performance: A systematic review

Introduction: Competitive sport is a highly pressurized environment in which athletes experience competitive, organizational, and personal stressors (Moore et al., 2019). Athletes’ appraisals of stressors underpin emotional responses and coping efforts, influencing how they experience and respond in high-pressure environments (Lazarus, 1999).

Problem Statement: Despite some research linking appraisals with important outcomes (e.g., performance; Hase et al., 2019), a review of studies on primary and secondary appraisals and non-performance related outcomes (e.g., health, well-being) does not yet exist. Thus, this systematic review synthesized literature on athletes’ appraisals of stressors (both primary and secondary) and their associations with health, well-being, and performance.

Theoretical Framework: This review was underpinned by Lazarus and Folkman’s (1984) cognitive appraisal theory and the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat (Blascovich & Tomaka, 1996).

Method: Following PRISMA guidelines, systematic literature searches of CINAHL, PsycINFO, PSYCArticles, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science were conducted. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to: (1) be published in peer-reviewed journals and written in English or French, (2) use a quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods design, and (3) have measured primary and/or secondary appraisals among athletes and examined how these appraisals related to at least one outcome (i.e., health, well-being, or performance).

Summary and Implications: After 4088 initial hits, screening resulted in a final sample of 70 studies. The findings highlighted that research has predominately used quantitative methods and more commonly examined primary appraisals than secondary appraisals. The findings also revealed that certain appraisals (e.g., challenge) were associated with better health, well-being, and performance-related outcomes (e.g., less depression symptomology); implying that practitioners should encourage athletes to appraise stressors more adaptively. However, further research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms of how and why appraisals influence these outcomes, potentially using qualitative methodologies (e.g., event-focused interviews).

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