Athlete wellbeing in high performance settings: A scoping review
(Das Wohlbefinden von Sportlern in Hochleistungssportumgebungen: Eine Übersichtsarbeit)
Objectives
Athlete wellbeing is important in high-performance sport for sustaining performance and ensuring long-term personal and professional fulfilment. However, no standard definition of athlete wellbeing currently exists. This scoping review examined how international multi-sport high-performance sport organisations (HPSOs) define and operationalise athlete wellbeing.
Design
Scoping review.
Methods
Four academic databases (APA PsycINFO, SportDiscus, Scopus, Google Scholar) and grey literature (e.g., Google) were searched (January 2010-September 2025). Documents from international multi-sport HPSOs were included if they defined or operationalised athlete wellbeing, included a focus on highly trained/national level athletes, and were publicly available in English. Data were narratively described.
Results
Fourteen information sources from eleven HPSOs were identified. Only four of 11 HPSOs explicitly defined athlete wellbeing. The most commonly referenced dimensions of wellbeing were physical (n=10/11), social (n=9/11), mental (n=8/11), and emotional (n=7/11) wellbeing. Fewer HPSOs referenced dimensions such as spiritual (n=2/11), financial (n=2/11), cultural (n=2/11), educational (n=1/11), and career wellbeing (n=1/11). Wellbeing was aligned with broader organisational values in six of 11 HPSOs.
Conclusions
The findings suggest a lack of consistency in how athlete wellbeing is defined and operationalised across HPSOs. Interestingly, four key dimensions were consistently included, aligning with existing holistic wellbeing models and athlete performance health. Including mental, physical, social, and emotional wellbeing as foundational dimensions may support a standardised approach and enable more consistent athlete wellbeing measurement. These insights may inform HPSO practice and highlight priority areas for future research on how wellbeing frameworks are implemented and experienced by athletes.
© Copyright 2025 Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. Elsevier. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
| Schlagworte: | |
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| Notationen: | Sozial- und Geisteswissenschaften |
| Veröffentlicht in: | Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2025
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| Online-Zugang: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2025.10.001 |
| Dokumentenarten: | Artikel |
| Level: | hoch |