Developing a context-specific psychological resilience framework for semi-professional football players in Mashonaland Central Northern Region Division One, Zimbabwe.

Abstract

This study seeks to explore the resilience challenges experienced by players, identify individual, team, organizational, and community factors influencing resilience, examine coping strategies and support systems utilized by players and technical staff, and develop a practical resilience model tailored to the local football context. The selected clubs in the Mashonaland Central Province included Trojan Stars FC, Jumbo Giants FC, Shamva Mine FC, and Batanai FC. Guided by the psychological resilience theory, Cognitive Resilience Theory, and the Cognitive Appraisal Theory, together with the Soci-Ecological Model , the research employs an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. The research integrates qualitative data collected through 28 semi-structured interviews with players, coaches, technical staff, and management stakeholders which were also involved in the validation process hiand quantitative self-administered questionnaires from 152 participants (93.1% response rate). Qualitative data were coded and analyzed thematically using NVivo 15, while quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS (Version 26) for statistical patterns, and the mixed method phase utilized joint display analysis and data triangulation, with results visually presented to identify prevalent resilience challenges, contributing factors, and effectiveness of current coping mechanisms. The integration facilitated the development and evaluation of the context-specific psychological resilience model. Analysis revealed the current challenges, coping mechanisms, and possible solutions. The findings revealed that the current strategies and coping mechanisms were significantly affected by areas such as financial constraints, performance pressures, career uncertainty, and injury setbacks. Ultimately, the study underscores the importance of team support, access to psychological services, and goal setting. To preserve the integrity of the study and honor participants, ethical considerations, including obtaining informed consent, guaranteeing confidentiality, and safeguarding participant privacy, were carefully observed during the whole research process. The study provides valuable, context-specific insights, recommendations, and the proposed context-specific resilience model for semi-professional football players in Mashonaland Central Northern Region Division One, Zimbabwe.