A comparison of coping-styles of individual and team athletes of Australia and the Netherlands

Previous research suggests that culture may have confounding effects in shaping the coping strategies of athletes. However, up until this point, no study has actually attempted to link culture to the coping strategies of athletes. In the current study we investigated the effects of an athlete's country of residence, type of sport, and gender on the coping strategies used. One hundred and twenty-six Australian and Dutch athletes completed a survey containing the Brief COPE (Carver, 1997). Results showed that a combination of country of residence, type of sport and gender influenced the use of problem-focused, emotion-focused and avoidance coping strategies of athletes. The findings suggest that the coping strategies of Australian and Dutch athletes are influenced by the interaction of several factors, including their country of residence, their gender, and the type of sport that they are involved in. Coping, therefore, is a far more complex construct than previous research has suggested.