Emotional labor profiles and mental health among sport coaches: A person-centered approach

Although emotional labor has been widely examined in sport coaching, little is known about how distinct emotional labor profiles relate to coaches’ mental health. Using a person-centered approach, this study identified profiles based on their patterns of surface acting and deep acting and examined differences in depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and life satisfaction. A total of 160 sport coaches (66.9% men; M age = 50.84 years, SD = 8.43) completed an online survey. Profiles were identified using a two-step cluster procedure combining Ward's hierarchical clustering and k-means clustering. Three profiles emerged: Adaptive Regulation (low surface acting and moderately high deep acting; n = 56, 35.0%), Dual Regulation (high surface acting and high deep acting; n = 43, 26.9%), and Maladaptive Regulation (high surface acting and low deep acting; n = 61, 38.1%). A one-way multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant profile differences across all mental health outcomes. Coaches in the Adaptive Regulation profile demonstrated the lowest depressive and anxiety symptoms and the highest life satisfaction. The Dual Regulation profile showed intermediate depressive symptoms and life satisfaction, whereas its anxiety symptoms did not differ significantly from those of the Maladaptive Regulation profile. Coaches in the Maladaptive Regulation profile reported the highest levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms and the lowest level of life satisfaction. These findings suggest that the implications of surface acting may depend on the broader configuration in which it occurs. Overall, the results highlight the value of a person-centered approach for understanding emotional labor and coaches’ mental health.