The Importance of Coach Well-Being

Many times the importance of coach well-being and mental health has been overlooked because of the heightened importance of athlete mental health. However, like a “trickle down effect,” overlooking coach well-being can have a negative impact on the overall athletic system and ultimately athlete well- being. Therefore, it is important to understand the barriers coaches face in regard to their own mental health and well-being and provide resources to support them. 

In 2022, the NCAA embarked on an inaugural study to better understand the current state of coach well-being within collegiate athletics. The results of this study demonstrated that coaches (n=6,000) across divisions are facing heightened levels of stress resulting in mental exhaustion. 40% of head coaches across divisions expressed feeling mentally exhausted nearly everyday, if not constantly (NCAA, 2023). Further, coaches identifying as a woman, Black, indigenous or person of color (BIPOC), or those on the queer-spectrum experienced mental exhaustion at higher rates, similar to their athlete counterparts (NCAA, 2023). Within this study, coaches recognized the importance of athlete mental health with 80% of coaches reporting they spend more time speaking with their athletes about mental health than they did before the pandemic (NCAA, 2023). However, coaches also expressed their need for resources to better support their own mental health so they can continue to have the ability to support their athletes. 

Additionally, many coaches are part of older generations such as millennial, gen X, and baby boomers, meaning they participated in sport during a time when mental health among athletes was more stigmatized than it is today. While many recent athletes have openly expressed their own mental health challenges in an effort to destigmatize mental health among athletes, fewer coaches have publicly discussed their own mental health challenges (O’Brien, 2022). In a survey conducted among Australian sport coaches in 2020, 30% of coaches reported that admitting to a mental health challenge would reflect poorly upon them as a coach in sport settings (O’Brien, 2022). Thus, demonstrating the continued need for advocacy and support of mental health within sport spaces for both athletes and coaches. 

Therefore, there is continued evidence that mental health is still heavily stigmatized in sport spaces for both athletes and coaches. Coaches, as the leaders who are generally setting the organizational culture, need continued exposure and support surrounding their own mental health so they can then pass along the support through a “trickle down effect” to their athletes. Further, the heightened mental health challenges among oppressed groups (BIPOC, women, queer-spectrum) suggests that continued efforts are needed to change the systems in place within sport spaces that oppress these groups of both athletes and coaches. As sport organizations continue to grapple with how to better support the mental health of their athletes, supporting the mental health of their coaches is a key part of a holistic approach to well-being. 

References

NCAA (2023). NCAA Coach Well-being study. https://www.ncaa.org/news/2023/1/26/media-center-ncaa-coaches-report-increased-focus-on-mental-health-detail-personal-challenges.aspx

O’Brien, J. (2022, August 19). More than 40% of elite sport coaches we surveyed suffered mental ill-health. They need our support, not stigma. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/more-than-40-of-elite-sport-coaches-we-surveyed-suffered-mental-ill-health-they-need-our-support-not-stigma-188728