Conceptualising family well-being in elite swimming

Abstract

This paper presents a novel theoretical framework for understanding family well-being (FWB) in elite swimming. It uses qualitative data from longitudinal interviews with families of elite swimmers in Cyprus to show the importance of understanding the impact of FWB on athlete well-being. Adopting an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, a year-long study was conducted to understand the experiences of four Cypriot families with an adolescent swimmer who had Olympic potential. The study employed four rounds of individual interviews with each family member to explore in-depth well-being, family life and elite sporting experiences. The findings revealed that a mutual sense of FWB was characterised by health, emotions and a sense of belonging and worthwhileness. We argue for the need to move from individual accounts of athlete well-being to multidimensional models that help to understand the sociocultural contexts and complex relationships that impact how athletes feel. Our research argues that understanding athletes’ well-being cannot be separated from the environment and communities in which they live and practise their sport, and explores this issue through the family context.