SPHSports HealthA Multidisciplinary Approach1941-73811941-0921SAGE PublicationsSage CA: Los Angeles, CA10.1177/1941738123122347210.1177_19417381231223472Current ResearchMental Health in Elite Coacheshttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8167-8205BaumannLaura†*https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8176-9126SchneebergerAndres RicardoMD‡https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5617-4868CurrieAlanMD§‖https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4441-5465IffSamuelMD†https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7311-4426SeifritzErichProf., MD†https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8415-3076ClaussenMalte ChristianMD†#Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CaliforniaRegional Affective Disorders Service, Cumbria Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle, UKExercise Sport and Rehabilitation Therapies, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UKInstitute for Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, SwitzerlandClinic for Depression and Anxiety, Psychiatric Centre Münsingen, SwitzerlandLaura Baumann, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8008 Zürich, Switzerland (email: laura.baumann@uzh.ch).211202416610501057© 2024 The Author(s)2024American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicinehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).Context:

Coaches play an important role in promoting mental health in elite sports. However, they themselves are exposed to risks affecting their mental health, and their fears and worries are often overlooked. Moreover, it remains unclear how coaches’ mental health affects their athletes’ mental health.

Objective:

To create a compilation of the literature on (1) elite coaches’ mental health and (2) how coaches’ mental health influences elite athletes’ mental health. Building on this, recommendations for improving coaches’ psychological well-being should be elaborated upon and discussed.

Data Sources:

A literature search was conducted up to November 30, 2021, using the following databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and SportDiscus.

Study Selection:

Studies reporting elite coaches’ mental health symptoms and disorders and the influence of elite coaches’ mental health on elite athletes’ mental health were included.

Study Design:

Scoping review.

Level of Evidence:

Level 4.

Data Extraction:

Data regarding elite coaches’ mental health, as well as their influence on athletes’ mental health and performance, were included in a descriptive analysis. The PRISMA guidelines were used to guide this review.

Results:

Little research has been done on elite coaches’ mental health disorders, although studies confirm that they do experience, for example, symptoms of burnout, anxiety, and depression. The influence of coaches’ mental health on their athletes is underinvestigated, with research focused mainly on the influence of coaches’ stress.

Conclusion:

Knowledge about coaches’ mental health is still limited. Coaches’ poor mental health diminishes coaching performance and might impair athletes’ mental health. Coaches should receive more support, including sports psychiatric care and education on the importance of mental health. This could improve the mental health of both coaches and athletes, and positively affect athlete performance.

High performancecompetitive sportsmental healthcoachsports psychiatrytypesetterts1cover-dateNovember/December 2024