Ella McLoughlin, David Fletcher, Hannah L Graham, Rachel Arnold, Daniel J Madigan, George M Slavich, Lee J Moore
{"title":"Cumulative lifetime stressor exposure and health in elite athletes: the moderating role of perfectionism.","authors":"Ella McLoughlin, David Fletcher, Hannah L Graham, Rachel Arnold, Daniel J Madigan, George M Slavich, Lee J Moore","doi":"10.1080/1612197x.2022.2153203","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although greater lifetime stressor exposure has been associated with physical and mental health issues in the general population, relatively little is known about how lifetime stressors impact the physical and mental health of elite athletes or the factors moderating this association. Given that many elite athletes show signs of perfectionism, and that this trait has been linked with ill-health, it is possible that perfectionism may moderate the lifetime stressor-health relationship. To test this possibility, we examined how cumulative lifetime stressor exposure was associated with general mental and physical health complaints in elite athletes, and the extent to which these associations were moderated by perfectionism. Participants were 110 elite athletes (64 female; <i>M</i> <sub><i>age</i></sub> = 29.98 years, <i>SD</i> = 10.54) who completed assessments of lifetime stressor exposure, physical health, psychological distress, and perfectionism. As hypothesised, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that experiencing more severe lifetime stressors was related to poorer physical and mental health. Furthermore, self-oriented perfectionism moderated the association between lifetime stressor count and severity and physical health, but not mental health. Overall, these data demonstrate stressor-specific effects among elite athletes and highlight the potential importance of assessing lifetime stressor exposure and perfectionistic tendencies in order to improve athlete health and well-being.</p>","PeriodicalId":47505,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11164546/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197x.2022.2153203","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2022/12/28 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Although greater lifetime stressor exposure has been associated with physical and mental health issues in the general population, relatively little is known about how lifetime stressors impact the physical and mental health of elite athletes or the factors moderating this association. Given that many elite athletes show signs of perfectionism, and that this trait has been linked with ill-health, it is possible that perfectionism may moderate the lifetime stressor-health relationship. To test this possibility, we examined how cumulative lifetime stressor exposure was associated with general mental and physical health complaints in elite athletes, and the extent to which these associations were moderated by perfectionism. Participants were 110 elite athletes (64 female; Mage = 29.98 years, SD = 10.54) who completed assessments of lifetime stressor exposure, physical health, psychological distress, and perfectionism. As hypothesised, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that experiencing more severe lifetime stressors was related to poorer physical and mental health. Furthermore, self-oriented perfectionism moderated the association between lifetime stressor count and severity and physical health, but not mental health. Overall, these data demonstrate stressor-specific effects among elite athletes and highlight the potential importance of assessing lifetime stressor exposure and perfectionistic tendencies in order to improve athlete health and well-being.
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology (IJSEP) is sponsored by the International Society of Sport and Exercise Psychology (ISSP). Primary purposes of IJSEP are to promote understanding of sport psychology research and practice around the world, enhance theoretical and practical knowledge in these fields and promote high-quality scientific and applied work in sport and exercise psychology. Sections in the Journal are devoted to areas including group dynamics, moral and ethical issues, social aspects in sport and exercise, and biological aspects of behavior.