Work Demands, Responses, and Coping Strategies for Staff in High-Performance Sport: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Sport Science
• Occupational Health
• Psychology

Background:

• High-performance sport practitioners face unique work demands and psychobiological responses.
• Existing reviews lack a comprehensive overview of staff well-being and performance in this sector.
• A broad summary is needed to clarify work demands and responses for sport practitioners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of literature on staff in high-performance sport roles.
• To map studies and summarize findings on work demands, resources, coping, and responses.
• To utilize theoretical frameworks for defining key concepts in high-performance sport work.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review conducted following PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
• Searches across PubMed, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus up to August 2024.
• Included full-time staff in high-performance sport assessing demands, responses, resources, or coping.

Main Results:

• 124 studies were included, spanning collegiate, professional, and Olympic/Paralympic levels.
• Coaches (n=79) and medical/performance staff (n=41) were primary study populations.
• Most studies assessed combined outcomes: demands, responses, resources, and coping strategies.

Conclusions:

• Practitioners face diverse demands (workload, organizational, performance, sociocultural).
• Challenges lead to emotional, psychological, and physical responses, including burnout and work-life imbalance.
• Coping strategies and resources are crucial for navigating these demands, informing support strategies.