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How women varsity athletes high in self-compassion experience unexpected stressors

Abstract Self-compassion appears to promote adaptive appraisals and coping in women athletes (Mosewich et al., 2019), and a self-compassionate perspective may aid athletes in navigating the experience of unexpected stressors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore how women varsity athletes high in self-compassion experience unexpected stressors. More specifically, our research questions were: (1) How do women varsity athletes high in self-compassion appraise unexpected stressors surrounding competition? and (2) How do women varsity athletes high in self-compassion attempt to cope with unexpected stressors surrounding competition? Using utilization-focused purposeful sampling, 216 women varsity athletes completed the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003b). Seven women (Mage = 19.43 years, SD = 1.40) with high self-compassion scores (M = 3.83, SD = 0.48) then participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Through an interpretive description framework (Thorne, 2016), themes were created around appraising and coping with unexpected stressors. Athletes drew on past experiences, a balanced perspective toward sport, and logical appraisal patterns when evaluating unexpected stressors. Furthermore, five themes were developed that illustrate coping efforts: emotional self-awareness to support coping, realizing the experiences of significant others in sport, use of established social network, proactively approaching the problem, and direction of attention to (re-)engage. It appears that varsity women athletes high in self-compassion possess resources that enable them to effectively navigate unexpected stressors.  Lay summary: The study explored how athletes who scored high in the construct of self-compassion responded to unexpected stressors that they encountered during competition. Athletes described various approaches that aided them in assessing the unexpected stressors. Athletes engaged in a range of efforts to try to manage unexpected stressors that they experienced. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE To reduce ambiguity surrounding unexpected stressors, athletes should be encouraged to reflect on past experiences with stressors to recognize similarities to the current stressor. Furthermore, reflecting on past experiences can aid athletes in fostering a sense of self-efficacy from previous successes and/or from recognizing the confidence that significant others in sport (e.g., coaches, teammates) have in the athlete to be able to manage the demands of competition. Athletes should develop a range of reactive and proactive coping approaches to respond to and/or reduce the impact of unexpected stressors. Such approaches may include mental skills (e.g., self-talk, physical cues) to facilitate perseverance in the face of unexpected stressors. Establishing and having access to a social support network can aid athletes in preparing for and responding to unexpected stressors. Social support can be emotional (e.g., aiding athletes in managing their emotions), informational (e.g., gathering more information surrounding an unexpected stressor), and/or indirect (e.g., recognizing that other athletes have experienced, or are experiencing, similar challenges).