MENTAL HEALTH AND DISORDERS IN ELITE SPORTS COACHES

The mental health of elite sports coaches is increasingly recognized as a critical, yet underexplored, dimension of high-performance sport. This scoping review examined existing literature to map how personal, organizational, and performance-related demands shape coaches’ well-being and vulnerability to mental health disorders. Searches across PsycINFO, Scopus, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus yielded 354 studies, of which only seven met inclusion criteria. The evidence, predominantly published in the last five years and based in Europe and Oceania, points to a consistent pattern: female coaches report higher levels of psychological strain than their male peers, largely due to organizational pressures and performance-related responsibilities. These findings reveal significant research gaps while underscoring the pressing need for organizational reforms and tailored mental health support programs to sustain coaches’ well-being. Addressing these issues is essential not only for coaches’ personal health but also for the long-term sustainability of elite sport environments.