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The Lived Experiences of Sports Retirement Among Elite, Action Sports Athletes

Struthers, Gracie
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3251-4666
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1674061196124659

Abstract Details

2023, Psy. D., Antioch University, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology.
This study explored the lived experiences of sports retirement among elite, action sport athletes. This study examined participants’ retirement experiences, their well-being post-retirement, and recommendations participants had for current athletes about retirement. Interviews were conducted remotely with four participants. Participants identified as Caucasian, in the 25–38 age range, had been involved with their sport competitively for 17.75 years, and had been retired for 3.37 years. Data was collected and analyzed utilizing Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Participants’ experiences during retirement illustrated a significant disruption in their lives and the way they lived. This disruption was characterized by significant grief and distress, followed by a prolonged existential crisis and lack of meaning. Given their level of sport involvement and intensity, athletes struggled to relate with others who had typical social development. As a result, participants felt alone and misunderstood, which compounded their grief, loss, and overall existential crisis. Participants navigated their new lifestyles that were characterized by agency over what they wanted to portray and disclose to others and increasingly living by their values. As participants stepped into their new lives, they had accepted themselves more, were more present, and had an increased sense of well-being. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and Ohio Link ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu/etd).
Christopher Heffner, Dr. (Committee Chair)
Eric Brymer, Dr. (Committee Member)
Melissa Kennedy, Dr. (Committee Member)
134 p.
Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Clinical Psychology; Counseling Education; Counseling Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Higher Education; Kinesiology; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Sports Medicine
elite sports; extreme sports; action sports; retirement; sports retirement; existential crisis; sports psychology; well-being

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Struthers, G. (2023). The Lived Experiences of Sports Retirement Among Elite, Action Sports Athletes [Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1674061196124659

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Struthers, Gracie. The Lived Experiences of Sports Retirement Among Elite, Action Sports Athletes. 2023. Antioch University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1674061196124659.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Struthers, Gracie. "The Lived Experiences of Sports Retirement Among Elite, Action Sports Athletes." Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1674061196124659

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

antioch1674061196124659
373
© 2022, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Antioch University and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12