Dual career in sport and non-sport work: Exploring experiences of North American professional female ice hockey players.

Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 101088724 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1878-5476 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 18785476 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Psychol Sport Exerc Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: [Amsterdam ; New York : Elsevier

Hockey*/psychology ; Athletes*/psychology; Humans ; Female ; Adult ; Stress, Psychological/psychology ; Young Adult ; North America ; Occupational Stress/psychology

Grounded in role strain theory, this study explored the dual career experiences of North American female ice hockey players who were also involved in full-time non-sporting work, focusing on factors that produced and reduced their role strain. We interviewed ten professional ice hockey players who held full-time non-sport jobs at the time of their interview. Our reflexive thematic analysis revealed that the multitude of factors leading to role strain among professional female working-athletes were notably significant, spanning societal expectations and environmental complexities. The imposition of the superwoman persona, demanding excellence in both hockey and work roles, combined with inconsistent expectations from professional and athletic supervisors intensified stress and undermined well-being. The study's findings emphasize the need for robust support systems and adaptive strategies, such as effective communication, careful planning, and proactive self-care, which can mitigate these pressures. Furthermore, the athletes' narratives revealed a pressing call for empathy and flexibility from coaches, employers, and the broader sports community, suggesting that improvements in these areas could enhance the professional and personal experiences of these working-athletes. The findings provide valuable insights into the challenges faced by dual career female athletes, as well as current strategies aimed at supporting and enhancing their experiences. Furthermore, these results deepen our understanding of how professional female athletes in North America can achieve greater well-being by addressing the factors that produce and reduce role strain factors.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Keywords: Coaching; High-performance sport; Ice hockey; Social support; Work-life balance

Date Created: 20240705 Date Completed: 20240725 Latest Revision: 20240814

20240815

10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102699

38969305