Determining the social work needs of women athletes based on empowerment approach: A qualitative research focused on sport social work

Sport is a power which increases life quality via improving health conditions. Despite being a supportive tool especially for the high-risk population, it can be an experience that is very stressful and negatively effective for the well-being of athletes. A group of athletes are under the risk of psychosocial problems due to the stress which is caused by the competition. In this context it's important that the successful women athletes in the sports that gender is reproduced face difficulties that should be considered as a wide perspective and the difficulties that they face should handle properly. Empowerment-oriented feminist approach is fundamental for the social work interventions oriented to women athletes. Aim of this study is determining the psychosocial risk factors that weaken the women athletes and exploring the necessity of social work interventions aimed at women athletes with empowerment-oriented feminist approach. A qualitative research method and in-depth interviewing techniques were utilized and interviewed with 20 athletes in women's handball and athletics super league and 1st league. Maxqda 2022 and thematic analysis was used in the analysis of the research data. As a result of the research, it has been shown that the biopsychosocial changes that occur due to the adoption of sports as a career by women athletes and their struggle to exist in the sports community are important factors in the context of empowering and weakening them. As a result, this research is important in terms of showing that social work interventions are important for increasing women's well-being in the sports environment and forming an evidence base for these interventions. Keywords: Empowerment-oriented Feminist Approach, Gender, Sport Social Work, Woman Athlete