A model for coping with stressful events in sport: Theory, application, and future directions

Abstract

Coping with stressful episodes during competitive events is a common occurrence in sport. Surprisingly, attempts to understand the coping process in sport has received only scant attention in the sport psychology literature, and is absent with respect to the Asian culture. According to the extant literature in general psychology, the coping process may be similar between cultures. Cultural differences are more apparent, however, in the preferred use of selected coping strategies. Similar cultural differences have been found between western countries, however, this area remains unexplored with respect to Asian countries. The purposes of this article are: (a) to provide a conceptual model for coping with acute stress in sport, (b) to highlight possible cultural differences in coping preferences following sport-related stressful events from a theoretical perspective, (c) to indicate implications for improving coping skills of athletes, and (d) to suggest future directions in coping research for improving our understanding of the coping process in sport contexts.