IB Sports, exercise and health science C.4.2.1 Coping Strategies: Problem-focused, Emotion-focused, and Avoidance-focused Approaches Notes

Coping Strategies in Sport

1. Stressors are events or situations producing psychological strain.
2. Coping strategies are the thoughts and behaviours athletes use to manage them.
   1. Eustress (positive): Energising stress such as looking forward to a final.
   2. Distress (negative): Negative strain such as fearing an outcome.
   3. Lazarus and Folkman (1984): Sorted coping into three categories: problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidance-focused.
   4. Appraisal first: Before coping starts, the athlete appraises the situation as threat, challenge, harm, or irrelevant.
3. Coping choice should follow appraisal.

Problem-Focused Coping

1. Change the stressor: Problem-focused strategies act on the situation itself.
2. Problem solving: Analyse the issue and generate options.
3. Remove the source: Eliminate or reduce the trigger directly.
4. Information seeking: Gather knowledge that makes the situation manageable.
5. Best fit: Works best when the athlete has some control over the stressor.