The Athlete Gratitude Group (TAGG): Effects of coach participation in a positive psychology intervention with youth athletes

Learning how to cultivate gratitude can be a valuable skill for life and sport, allowing one to reframe negative situations, enhance interpersonal relationships, and build resilience. While one-time gratitude interventions have demonstrated benefits for personal and social well-being, multi-session programs have the potential to strengthen these effects, as well as team dynamics. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine (1) the impact of a multi-session gratitude intervention among youth athletes and (2) the effect of coach participation on respective outcomes. Eighteen varsity members of a high school girls' soccer team participated in The Athlete Gratitude Group (TAGG). To test the effect of coach participation, team members were randomly assigned to receive the intervention with or without the head coach present. Repeated measures analysis of variance tests and subsequent pairwise comparisons found significant improvements in athletes' state gratitude, mental health, resilience, team cohesion, and coach-athlete relationship pre- to post-intervention. For the entire sample, lasting effects on mental health, resilience, and coach-athlete relationship were observed at 1-month and 3-month follow-ups. Moreover, positive effects on mental health were significantly maximized for athletes in the coach group. No significant group x time interaction effects were observed on state or trait gratitude, resilience, team cohesion, or quality of the coach-athlete relationship; all athletes derived positive benefits from the program, regardless of group membership. Strengths, limitations, practical implications, and future research recommendations are discussed. Lay summary: A high school soccer team participated in "The Athlete Gratitude Group," a multi-session gratitude intervention. Half the team completed the program with the head coach present. All athletes exhibited enhanced gratitude, mental health, resilience, team cohesion, and coach-athlete relationship, with the coach group reporting even greater improvements in mental health.IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Intervention programs aimed toward cultivating gratitude in life and sport may enhance athlete mental health, resilience, team cohesion, and quality of the coach-athlete relationship. Coach participation in gratitude interventions at the team level may maximize positive effects on athlete mental health. Collectively engaging in gratitude practice as a team may increase resiliency and foster better quality relationships in sport.