Facts

Contact person:
Karin Moesch
Financer:
  • Centrum för Idrottsforskning CIF
Responsible at MaU:
Karin Moesch
Project members at MaU:
External project members:
  • Sofia Bunke - Lunds universitet
  • Magnus Lindén - Lunds universitet
Time frame:
01 January 2026 - 31 December 2027
Faculty/department:
Research environment :
Research subject:

Project description

Being an elite coach is a complex and demanding job. Research shows that the mental health of elite coaches can be negatively affected by high stress levels, which in turn can compromise their well-being, effectiveness and performance. In order to support athletes in both performing and feeling well, coaches need to be balanced themselves. A key component of this balance is the ability to manage emotions in a constructive way.

Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to an individual's capacity to perceive, process and act on emotion-related information in relation to themselves and others. High EI has been shown to be beneficial for effective coaching and for promoting good interpersonal relationships in sport. Mindfulness-based exercises have shown potential in previous studies to strengthen EI by developing open, non-judgmental awareness and acceptance of emotions.

The main purpose of the project is to investigate whether a coach education, designed to optimise the emotional intelligence of elite coaches through mindfulness practices, can contribute to increased well-being, improved performance, strengthened self-efficacy and improved communication skills among coaches. Furthermore, the project aims to analyse whether these effects on coaches can in turn influence the well-being and performance of athletes and the social environment that characterises the training context.