Addressing voids in knowledge relating to psychological stress in sport

This symposium brings together four speakers, three of whom are early career researchers, to discuss recent developments in psychological stress research in sport. Stress continues to be a widely researched topic (e.g., Arnold et al., 2017; Didymus et al., 2021; Potts et al., 2021) but many lines of enquiry are yet to be explored. For example, compelling understanding of pivotal concepts (e.g., lifetime stressors exposure, appraising, well-being) remains elusive, knowledge of the interpersonal aspects of stress is infantile, and we are yet to fully understand stress among minority and marginalized populations (e.g., athletes with a disability). This symposium addresses some noteworthy voids in understanding by offering four presentations that each use qualitative methods to answer a pertinent research question. The first presentation showcases a creative non-fiction of lifetime stressor exposure, performance, and help-seeking behaviors; the second uses composite vignettes to explore the impact of primary appraisals on psychological well-being; the third focuses on interpersonal coping among coach-athlete-parent triads; and the fourth presentation details the impact and experiences of classification on the mental health and well-being of athletes with a disability. Collectively, the findings of these presentations highlight a need for collaborative, multi-level interventions that can optimize environments for adaptive stress experiences and, in doing so, minimize the impact of stress on athletes’ health, well-being, and performance.