A qualitative study on stress coping and stress coping strategies of elite rhythmic gymnastics referees

The aim of this study is to examine the stress factors and coping strategies of elite rhythmic gymnastics referees. Phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. The data of the research were collected through in-depth individual interviews. A semi-structured interview form was used as a data collection tool. The sample of the study was selected according to criterion sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods, and all of the study group consisted of women. The average refereeing experience of the participants is x̄ 16.5 years. The average age is x̄ 39.7 years. The data obtained in the study were analyzed by content analysis method. The findings were grouped under three themes: Stress factors associated with evaluating the athlete's final grade; Stress factors associated with the competition rules and the nature of the competition; Methods of referees to cope with competition stress. The findings show that one of the most important stressors in a competition for the referees is the worry of giving wrong grades while evaluating the athlete. In addition, the changes in the rules of the competition and adapting to the new rules, competitions with a high level of difficulty such as national team selections or international competitions are among the factors that increase the stress felt by the referees. The findings show that reviewing the rules before the competitions and practicing by watching videos are the methods most adopted by the judges to manage their stress. In addition, it is understood that elite rhythmic gymnastics referees have developed a method of coping with stress through many practices such as participating in pre-competition trainings organized by the federation and inspiring themselves during the competition. As a result, it is understood that the stress felt by the elite level rhythmic gymnastics referees during the competitions is due to their sensitivity about giving a fair and equitable result grade to the athlete. Key Words: Gymnastics, Referee, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Stress, Coping with Stress