Little is known about the coping strategies used by elite athletes suffering from mental health issues. Therefore, this study examined coping strategies implemented by elite athletes’ facing clinical depression. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four elite athletes and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results present a broad picture of how elite athletes tried to cope with depression using a range of coping strategies. Among the different strategies highlighted, talking, seeking professional help and social support were particularly emphasized by the participants. Surprisingly, however, only one participant reported transferring the skills and strategies learned on her way to the top to many other aspects of her everyday life such as coping with her depression. Findings, therefore, suggest that athletes should be encouraged to transfer and make the most of the skills learned throughout their sport career to deal with their daily life. Future research perspectives and implications are discussed.

中文翻译：

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应对抑郁症的优秀运动员：定性研究

对于患有精神健康问题的优秀运动员所采用的应对策略知之甚少。因此，本研究探讨了由精英运动员面对临床抑郁症而实施的应对策略。对四位精英运动员进行了半结构化访谈，并使用解释现象学分析（IPA）进行了分析。结果显示了精英运动员如何使用一系列应对策略来应对抑郁症的广阔前景。在参加者强调的各种不同策略中，交谈，寻求专业帮助和社会支持尤为重要。但是，令人惊讶的是，只有一名参与者报告说，将在途中学到的技能和策略转移到了日常生活的许多其他方面，例如应对抑郁症。因此，发现 建议应鼓励运动员转移并充分利用其整个体育生涯中学到的技能来应对日常生活。讨论了未来的研究前景和意义。