Stressors, coping, and coping effectiveness among players from the England under-18 rugby union team

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine stressors, coping strategies, and perceived coping, effectiveness among international adolescent rugby players. Eleven English international adolescent rugby union players (M age = 17.9 years) maintained diaries over a 31-day period. The diaries included a stressor checklist, an open-ended coping responses section, and a Likert-type scale evaluation of coping effectiveness. Total reported stressors and coping strategies for the 31-day period were tallied, and the data were subsequently analyzed longitudinally. Overall, the most frequently-cited stressors were making a physical error, receiving coach/parental criticism, making a mental error, injury, and observing an opponent play well. The most frequently cited coping strategies were blocking, increased effort, and taking advice. Coping effectiveness appeared to be related to the choice of the coping strategy deployed. Strategies such as blocking and technical adjustments were generally rated as being more effective than strategies such as self-talk and increasing effort.