Irish Athletes’ Attitudes Toward Seeking Sport Psychology Consultation

The aim of this study was to replicate previous research examining attitudes to sport psychology consultation conducted in the US, Germany and the UK, and New Zealand. The study employed the Sport Psychology Attitudes-Revised (SPA-R) questionnaire in order to examine the attitudes elite Irish athletes (N = 240) hold toward sport psychology, and also to compare these attitudes with those found in other countries. Irish athletes in this study reported a generally positive attitude toward sport psychology provision, and were also identified as being open to receiving sport psychology assistance. They reported moderately high levels of confidence in sport psychology, and indicated the lack of accessibility and availability to these services as the most important factors. Comparison of results with athletes from other countries suggested that positive attitudes toward sport psychology may be based on factors not directly associated with personal experiences of sport psychology. As the provision of sport psychology increases, practitioners need a greater understanding of athletes’ attitudes toward sport psychology so they can tailor their services to best meet the needs of athletes. In order to do this, further research related to cultural and national differences is required.