Stress and coping in elite esports: A diary study of stress, coping and coping effectiveness

Objectives: This study examined stressors, stress appraisals, coping strategies, and coping effectiveness in elite esports using a longitudinal diary design to address the need for context-specific understanding of psychological demands and coping responses in elite esports. 

Methods: Five elite male League of Legends players from the League of Legends Circuit Oceania completed stress and coping diaries over a 71-day competitive season. Diaries were completed after solo training, team training, and competitive matches and assessed stressors, stress intensity, perceived control, threat and challenge appraisals, coping strategies, and coping effectiveness. 

Results: Performance-related (37.5 %) and teammate-related (34.8 %) stressors accounted for 72.3 % of all stressors reported, with general performance, outcome, teammate mistakes, and teammate communication being the most common. Stress intensity was significantly associated with threat appraisals but did not differ across stressor types or event types. Perceived control varied by stressor type, with higher control reported for performance and balancing life commitment stressors, and lower control for teammate, external individuals, and technical issues stressors. Mastery coping strategies were used most frequently, followed by internal regulation and goal withdrawal strategies. Mastery and internal regulation strategies were rated as more effective than goal withdrawal strategies, and coping effectiveness was significantly higher in training than in competition. 

Conclusions: This study provides new insights into the stress and coping experiences of elite esports athletes and highlights the importance of context-specific psychological support. The findings suggest that interventions should target adaptive coping strategy development, especially for managing performance pressure and teammate-related challenges in competitive environments. These insights can inform tailored mental skills programs and guide future research into resilience and performance sustainability in esports. Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.