Experiences of resilience and adversity in rowing : a grounded theory

Objective: Psychological resilience has been studied in the context of childhood and adolescent athletes and in elite athletes. Therefore a gap has formed in the part of the athlete population referred to as non-elite athletes. The objective of the present study was to explore the experiences of resilience and adversity in this non-elite athlete population and compare the findings to existing literature on elite-athletes to determine similarities and differences. Design and Method: Twelve non-elite rowers (8 women, 4 men) were interviewed regarding their experiences with resilience and adversity in rowing. A semi- structured interview guide was used to direct the interviews. Transcripts were coded and analyzed in accordance with a grounded theory methodology, and a substantive theory was formed through an iterative process of memoing, constant comparison, and theoretical sampling. Results and Conclusions: The findings suggested that there were a number of similarities in underlying processes of resilience in non-elite and elite athletes. The differences that were identified arose in the degree to which the athletes practiced resilient mechanisms.