A Comparison Of Female And Male Youth Across Skill Level In Their Stress Appraisal, Perceived Controllability, And Coping Function In Sports

Abstract

More than half of adolescents in the United States participate in organized sports, yet increasing rates of athlete dropout are associated with poor coping skills related to social pressures and perceptions of competence. This study examines coping processes of youth athletes to support the development of evidence-based interventions to improve athlete coping. In this study, 310 youth volleyball athletes were surveyed immediately following a High Performance tryout. The athletes were compared across gender and skill level regarding their self-reported coping experiences, stress appraisal, perceived controllability, perceived coping effectiveness, and performance self-rating. Greater perceived controllability was associated with more problem-focused coping, more emotion-focused coping, and less avoidance-focused coping. Males were more likely to use avoidance-focused coping compared to females. The relationships between how athletes coped and perceived coping effectiveness were not moderated by their perception of control, but greater perceived controllability, problem-focused coping, and emotion-focused coping predicted greater perceived coping effectiveness. Greater perceived controllability also predicted higher performance self-rating. These results suggest differences in coping according to gender and skill level and have important implications for future research and leveraging positive psychology in the development and implementation of mental skills training programs for youth athletes.