Perceptions of Self-Care and Work–Life Balance Among Secondary School Athletic Trainers

The athletic training research agenda identifies a need for exploration on strategies for improved work–life balance. One unexplored area is self-care practices used to maintain work–life balance. Fourteen (six males, eight females) athletic trainers employed in the secondary school setting participated in a qualitative research study. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using an inductive approach as prescribed by phenomenological approach. Data saturation guided recruitment and peer review and intercoder reliability was used for credibility. Secondary school athletic trainers are engaging in self-care practices regularly and connect those activities to their work–life balance. Self-care practices are designed to create “me time” and are geared toward physical and social self-care activities. In addition, our results address the interchangeable thoughts of self-care practices, stress relief, and work–life balance.