Understanding and recognizing high-performance swimmers’ well-being.

Abstract

The wellbeing of high-performance athletes has recently received increased research attention, yet there has been little focus on how wellbeing may be conceptualized within the context of specific sports. Thus, the aim of the current study was to understand and recognise high-performance swimmers' wellbeing. The study used an interpretive description methodology (Thorne, 2016). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight elite swimmers and 13 coaches and practitioners currently working with swimmers on the performance pathway. Interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019). Participants indicated that, within the context of high-performance swimming, swimmer wellbeing is an individual phenomenon, underpinned by personal values and goals, which influence how it is experienced. Changes in swimmers' wellbeing was characterized by a range of affective, cognitive, and behavioral indicators that were specific to the individual and influenced by their personal definition of wellbeing. The findings emphasize the subjective nature of wellbeing, in terms of how it is understood, experienced, and recognized within high-performance swimming. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of coaches, practitioners, and other support staff knowing each athlete with whom they work, particularly regarding the personal values and goals that underpin their understanding of wellbeing, as well as each person's specific indicators of changing wellbeing levels.

Clarifying concepts: “Well-being” in sport

“…However, for the purpose of this commentary and critique, we will focus on athlete well-being. After such a heavy focus on physical health, there has been a growing interest in athlete well-being ( 1 – 12 , 61 , 64 , 67 , 68 , 80 – 83 ). There has been an increased interest in athlete well-being as a number of high-profile athletes have announced distress in sport (i.e., Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, and Naomi Osaka), and widespread concerns of abuse in sport, which have raised trepidations over the duty of care toward athletes.…”

“…Despite the conceptual ambiguity of EWB, researchers have still attempted to study well-being in specific contexts (i.e., sport). This research has covered a broad range of topics including examining tenets of self-determination theory, achievement goals, coach interpersonal styles, cognitive appraisals, passion, high-performance narratives, and injury ( 1 – 12 , 61 , 67 , 68 , 81 , 82 , 94 – 106 ). Despite current research into athlete well-being, and some advances, there have been a number of limitations.…”

“…Due to the limitations of sport-specific EWB, other recent studies which have explored athletes' well-being from a fully eudaimonic perspective using global frameworks of EWB to inform and guide their study design, data analysis, and resultant claims ( 1 , 2 , 7 , 10 – 12 , 61 , 81 ). While this is theoretically aligned and situated work, results from these studies are still constricted to global frameworks of EWB and limited in the claims that can be made in regard to sport-specific EWB.…”

“…Well-being has become an increasingly popular area of study in sport and exercise psychology in recent years ( 1 – 12 ). Over the past decade there has been a shift from exploring the presence of psychopathy to the existence of wellness, well-being, and psychological growth ( 13 ).…”