| Summary: | The overall purpose of this research programme was to examine how international adolescent golfers cope with performance related stressors. As such, three interrelated studies were designed to pursue this purpose. The purpose of Study 1 was to examine instances when international adolescent golfers' coped effectively and ineffectively with performance-related stressors during competition. Strategies associated with effective coping were rationalizing, re-appraising, blocking, positive self-talk, following a routine, breathing exercises, physical relaxation, and seeking on-course social support. Alternatively, different types of coping responses (trying too hard, speeding up, routine changes, negative thoughts, lack of coping) were associated with ineffective coping. The purpose of Study 2 was to examine stressors, coping strategies, and perceived coping effectiveness among elite adolescent golfers longitudinally over 31 days. Overall, most frequently-cited stressors were making a physical error and making a mental error. Coping strategies that served a problem-focused coping function were cited more often than those which served an emotion-focused or avoidance function. Although mean coping effectiveness remained stable over time, considerable fluctuations in the effectiveness of coping strategies used to manage specific stressors were observed. The purpose of study 3 was to identify and examine adolescent golfers' stress appraisals and coping attempts during golf performance. Stress appraisals appeared to be related to the participants' performance goals, and an array of different coping attempts was deployed to manage apparently similar stressor-appraisals The findings presented in this research programme suggest that adolescent golfers use a plethora of different coping strategies during golf to cope with performance related stressors. The types of coping strategies utilised by the participants were very similar throughout all three of the studies ranging from blocking to positive appraisal.
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