SELF-COMPASSION AND STRESS MANAGEMENT AMONG UNIVERSITY FEMALE ATHLETES

Abstract

This study was on Self-compassion and stress management among university female athletes. The study used the following research objectives to guide the study: To find out the effect of self-kindness on stress management among university female athletes, to find out the effect of shared/common humanity on stress management of university female athlete and to find out the effect of mindfulness on stress management of university female athletes. Unique problems that might place a variety of demands on athletes are presented by competitive sport. The goal of this dissertation was to further knowledge about how female athletes handle difficult sporting circumstances by practicing self-compassion. The fit of self-compassion within the stress and coping process, the relationship of self-compassion with sport-relevant characteristics, and the effectiveness of self-compassion intervention with female athletes were key areas of study. To achieve this goal, three studies were conducted. The first study used a phenomenological approach to examine how failures affected women athletes and the coping mechanisms that went along with them, including the importance of self-compassion.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1Background of the study

Athletes face a multitude of challenges, both in the sport context and in life in general. Some of these challenges will be experienced by the athlete as stress, which is an experience that arises through a person-environment relationship perceived as having a high demand or beyond a person’s resources (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Nicholls & Thelwell, 2010). There are individual variations in what athletes find stressful what is stressful to one athlete is not necessarily stressful to another. Stressors can be chronic or acute, expected or unexpected, competitive or noncompetitive; and sources of stress commonly identified by athletes include competition stress, self-doubt, loss, fear of injury, psychological readiness for high performance, injury, training, coaching issues, relationship issues, financial issues, career direction, and the expectations of others (Gould, Finch, & Jackson, 1993; Gould, Udry, Brides, & Beck, 1997; Hoar, Kowalski, Gaudreau, & Crocker, 2006).

Managing these stressors requires that athletes have effective coping resources (Nicholls, 2010). Coping is a complex issue, reflecting “the constantly changing cognitive and behavioural efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person” (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984, p. 141). It is impacted by multiple factors, including appraisals, the situation, individual differences, personality, and social resources (Folkman & Moskowitz, 2000), and is connected to an array of outcomes. The following sections provide more detail on the processes that can influence the stress and coping process. Following this overview, self-compassion, which is a relatively new, but potentially useful, construct with links to adaptive functioning and the stress and coping process, will be introduced. Self-compassion will be defined and positioned as a promising resource for athletes to help manage negative events

Women athletes encounter many potentially stressful situations in competitive sport, such as body dissatisfaction, injury, bullying, eating disorders, coach conflicts, poor performance and performance plateau, self-criticism, and social comparisons, that are often accompanied by negative self-judgment, negative rumination, emotional disruption, and feelings of inadequacy (Mosewich, Crocker, & Kowalski, 2014; Sutherland et al., 2014; Tamminen, Holt, & Neely, 2013). Women athletes have acknowledged nuances in the demands and experiences they face in sport as being unique to women, as well as differences in resources and approaches that affect how they navigate the sport environment (e.g., Krane, Ross, Sullivan Barak, Lucas-Carr, & Robinson, 2014; Mosewich et al., 2014; Mosewich, Vangool, Kowalski, & McHugh, 2009). In addition, Warner and Dixon (2015) suggest that women tend to view and interpret competition settings differently than men, most notably with internal competition reportedly embraced by men but not women. As such, focused efforts to understand the stress process for women athletes is warranted

Women who have not developed effective coping skills to manage sport-related demands may experience negative outcomes such as poor performance, high levels of distress, negative emotional patterns, and sport dropout (see Crocker, Tamminen, & Gaudreau, 2015). Therefore, the ability to manage or regulate the stress and emotional process is critical for athletes to achieve both their athletic goals and psychological well-being. Self compassion has been related to positive psychological functioning and emotional well-being in women involved in sport (Ferguson, Kowalski, Mack, & Sabiston, 2014; Mosewich, Crocker, Kowalski, & DeLongis, 2013; Mosewich, Kowalski, Sabiston, Sedgwick, & Tracy, 2011; Reis, Kowalski, Ferguson, Sabiston, Sedgwick, & Crocker, 2015) and has potential to support effective management of stress and emotion for women athletes.

Self-compassion is a multidimensional construct and consists of three key components: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness (Neff, 2003b). Self-kindness involves being understanding and accepting, rather than harshly self-critical, toward oneself during adverse situations. Common humanity is the acknowledgement that one’s experiences are not isolating, as others also find themselves in similar circumstances. Mindfulness in the context of self-compassion involves keeping thoughts and feelings in balance rather than overidentifying with them or engaging in avoidance. These three components are interrelated and in combination compose the construct of self-compassion. Self-compassion is assumed to be most relevant when one is dealing with negative events (Neff, 2003b). As such, the setbacks, failures, challenges, and evaluation that are ubiquitous to sport present an area where self-compassion may be advantageous to competitive athletes in their coping efforts (Mosewich et al., 2014).

Statement of the problem

While there are a number of positive attributes that accompany sport participation, there are many situations that can potentially cause stress (Hanin, 2010; Nicholls & Thelwell, 2010). Self-compassion may be particularly useful in managing hardships in sport. Self-kindness would allow an individual to evaluate the self without self-condemnation, promoting more accurate perceptions of the situation and a better ability to change maladaptive thoughts, feelings, or behaviours (Neff, 2003b). Self-compassion permits the acknowledgement and evaluation of weaknesses, but could allow the athlete to move on with an effective focus, avoiding excessive self-criticism and rumination (e.g., Neff, 2003b; Neff, 2009; Neff et al., 2005). A sense of common humanity would allow athletes to identify with others who share similar experiences or more easily accept support from others (A. B. Allen & Leary, 2010). Finally, mindfulness would promote a balance in expectations and standards. Neff (2003b) contends that “self-compassion should be linked to greater knowledge and clarity about one’s limitations” (p. 93). A selfcompassionate perspective surrounding the body has also been acknowledged by women exercisers to involve appreciating one’s unique body, including its limitations (Berry, Kowalski, Ferguson, & McHugh, 2010). Thus, with self-compassion, effective balance and focus is promoted, as challenges are not avoided, but identified and approached in a way that achieves the best situation for the self. Overall, the effectiveness of coping is enhanced by maintaining perspective and practicing mindfulness during stressful and challenging times (Brown & Ryan, 2003; Neff, 2003b). In taking such approaches, emotions are attempted to be understood, without the denial of reality or becoming overwhelmed (Neff, 2003b). Thus, fostering self-compassionate mind-frames seems to be a worthwhile endeavour as it promotes acceptance of the situation, yet still allows the athlete to move forward in pursuit of her best self. Based on this background the study wants to investigate the Self-compassion and stress management among university female athletes

Objective of the study

The main objective of the study is to ascertain the Self-compassion and stress management among university female athletes. The specific objectives are;

1. the effect of self-kindness on stress management among university female athletes

Research Question

The following research questions will be formulated to guide the study;

1. the effect of self-kindness on stress management among university female athletes?

Research Hypotheses

The following research hypotheses are formulated to guide the study;

H1: There is no effect of self-kindness on stress management among university female athletes

H2: There is no effect of shared/common humanity on stress management of university female athlete

H3: There is no effect of mindfulness on stress management of university female athletes

Significance of the study

The study will be very beneficial to students, lecturers, sportswomen and men and the policy makers. The study will give a clear insight on the Self-compassion and stress management among university female athletes. The findings of the study will educate sport women on how to manage stress in sport. The study will also serve as a reference to other researcher that will embark on the related topic

Scope of the study

The scope of the study covers Self-compassion and stress management among university female athletes. The study will be limited to female athlete in University of Lagos

Limitation of the study

1. Non-availability of enough resources (finance): A work of this nature is very tasking financially, money had to be spent at various stages of the research such resources which may aid proper carrying out of the study were not adequately available.
2. Time factor: The time used in carrying out the research work is relatively not enough to bring the best information out of it. However, I hope that the little that is contained in this study will go a long way in solving many greater problems.

Definition of terms

Self-compassion: Self-compassion means being gentle, kind and understanding with yourself; accepting that you are not perfect; and understanding that there is potential for learning and growth in every mistake you make (Neff, 2003).

Stress: Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional or psychological strain. Stress is your body’s response to anything that requires attention or action. Everyone experiences stress to some degree. The way you respond to stress, however, makes a big difference to your overall well-being

Stress management: Stress management is a wide spectrum of techniques and psychotherapies aimed at controlling a person’s level of stress, especially chronic stress, usually for the purpose of and for the motive of improving everyday functioning.

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