Elite Taekwondo Athletes: The Relationship among Sport Psychology, Mental Health, and the National Sport Organization

Authors: Nosworthy K and Telles-Langdon D*

DOI: 10.23880/oajksm-16000115

Volume 2, Issue 1

Abstract

This study explored the perceptions of retired elite Canadian Taekwondo athletes regarding their National Sport Organization’s responsibilities for reporting, managing, and preventing athletes’ mental health issues. Using qualitative interviews and a situational analysis of the data, results show that the majority of those interviewed in this study struggled with a mental health issue while competing at an elite level, and all the participants reported seeing a teammate struggle, at one time or another, with a mental health issue. Participants in this study identified three major areas in which Taekwondo Canada can help athletes with mental health issues: 1) providing education to coaches and athletes; 2) providing a reporting structure that is independent and confidential, and 3) providing greater access to clinical psychologists on an ongoing basis.

Keywords: Taekwondo; Mental-Health; Qualitative; Thematic Analysis; Sport Psychology

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