Road to transformation or dead end? Elite athletes’ narratives of getting into and out of mental health crises

Elite athletes are susceptible to crises arising from factors such as underperformance, pressure, injuries or interpersonal conflicts. While such experiences are straining, scholars of adversarial growth have convincingly argued that they bear a potential for personal transformation. This mixed-methods study investigates how elite athletes perceive and interpret crises, construct meaning and eventually navigate their way out of adversity. Longitudinal mental health screenings conducted at one-year intervals were used to purposefully sample 14 athletes for qualitative interviews: We selected athletes with high initial symptom levels showing substantial reduction (“out of a crisis”) and athletes with sustained elevated symptoms (“in a sustained crisis”). Thematic analysis revealed that both groups raised similar concerns – future-related positive illusions, fear of losing elite status, difficulty distancing from an athletic identity, and difficulty accepting negative emotions and seeking emotional support – but differed in how these were resolved. Athletes who overcame a crisis more often revised self-limiting beliefs, gained distance from their athletic role, could draw on emotional support, and additionally reported the belief that crises made them stronger. By systematizing the internal and external factors that facilitate or hinder growth, this study extends the concept of adversarial growth and emphasizes that growth is contingent and cannot be taken for granted.