Mental fatigue in elite sports was perceived by athletes, coaches, and psychologists to impact performance, recovery, daily life, general well-being, and overall health.
Mental fatigue in elite sports is perceived to broadly impact performance, recovery, and overall well-being, highlighting the need for ecologically valid future research.
Abstract: Mental fatigue is a psychobiological state that occurs as a consequence of prolonged mental demands and is associated with physical and cognitive performance impairments. The effects of mental fatigue have been studied primarily with quantitative, experimental studies in recreational sports. Limited studies have been conducted that reflect the experiences of elite athletes. The aim of this study was to obtain a greater understanding of potential impact of mental fatigue in elite sport. A qualitative research approach using semi-structured, problem-centered interviews ( n = 15) was adopted to explore the different perspectives of elite athletes ( n = 5), coaches ( n = 5), and sport psychologists ( n = 5) regarding mental fatigue. The results align with prior findings to indicate a perceived performance impact. Novel insights informed further impacts of mental fatigue on athletes’ regeneration and recovery, daily life, general well-being, and overall health and the potential accumulative contribution of multiple causes from differing domains. The findings provide a solid foundation to increase the ecological validity of future work investigating athlete mental fatigue.
Weiler et al. (Wed,) conducted a other in Mental fatigue (n=15). Mental fatigue was evaluated on Perspectives on mental fatigue and its impacts. Mental fatigue in elite sports was perceived by athletes, coaches, and psychologists to impact performance, recovery, daily life, general well-being, and overall health.