Key result
Six key themes including job characteristics and coping styles shape elite coach mental health.
Why the study?
Mental health research on coaches remains scarce, and even sparser in elite coaches, despite their central role in high-performance environments.
Systematic Review (n=5,570)
This scoping review synthesizes evidence on the mental health of elite sports coaches, identifying six key thematic areas of risk and protective factors.
Captured external expert commentary on this paper, strongest first. Original sources are linked where available.
“In recent years, the discussion about mental health in sport has focused heavily on athletes. What is often overlooked is that coaches operate in the same high-pressure system - often with even more responsibility. A current scoping review by my esteemed coaching colleague (Tomek) Kowalski et al. analyzed 84 studies with over 5,500 elite coaches and shows a clear picture: mental stress is not a marginal issue in coaching - but is structurally anchored.”
Scant evidence on elite coaches' mental health leaves open key risk and protective factors; dedicated prospective studies needed.
Mental health is gaining recognition in sport, but research on coaches remains scarce, and even sparser in elite coaches, despite their central role in high-performance environments. This review examines and synthesises evidence on risk and protective factors related to elite coaches' mental health.Scoping review following Joanna Briggs Institute and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Systematic searches were conducted in seven databases (Scopus, Embase, MEDLINE Ultimate, PubMed Central, APA PsycINFO, ERIC, SPORTDiscus) on August 20, 2025, without restrictions on publication year. Additional hand-search (snowballing and thematic reviews screening) was conducted between 15 and 30 October 2025..We screened 4306 records, and 84 studies investigating 5570 elite coaches were included. Most studies originated from WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) countries, employed qualitative or cross-sectional design, and examined mixed or team sport samples. Majority of studies were published in the last decade. Six key thematic areas were identified: job characteristics, social and organisational support, personal resources and individual characteristics, coping styles, work–life interface, and lifestyle.While mental health concerns are prevalent among elite coaches, research on risk and protective factors remains sparse, calling for more diverse, longitudinal, and intervention-based studies. Future research should adopt unified terminology, standardized reporting of contextual and participant characteristics, and greater adherence to established reporting guidelines.
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Kowalski et al. (2026) conducted a systematic review in Mental health (n=5,570). Risk and protective factors was evaluated on Thematic areas of risk and protective factors. Risk and protective factors for the mental health of 5,570 elite coaches across 84 studies were grouped into six key thematic areas, including job characteristics and coping styles.
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