Manliga tränares arbete kring menstruationens påverkan på träning : En kvalitativ studie

Sammanfattning: Purpose and research question: The purpose with the study was to investigate male coaches’ knowledge about menstruations impact on training. Also, to investigate the communication between coach and athlete about menstruation. The authors used three main questions  What kind of knowledge about menstruations impact on training has male coaches? How are their experience about the communication about menstruation with their  athletes? What kind of knowledge do they need about menstruation and the impact on training.  Method: The authors used a qualitative method where they interviewed six different male coaches. Three coaches from TeamGym and three from cross-country skiing. All material has then been processed through a thematic content analysis.Results: The purpose and questions were answered, and the results was divided into three main questions which were then took down into subcategories. Under the first question, what kind of knowledge the trainers have, it is summarized that the trainers themselves felt that they had a certain knowledge but also that they need continued education about menstruation. Many of the trainers described their knowledge of menstruation linked to energy balance and training load. The coaches also described how they used their knowledge in different situations. To summarize the question about communication with athletes, was that there seems to be a certain taboo. The coaches reflect that the most important factor for breaking taboos seems to lie in the trust between coaches and athletes, coach-athlete relationship. The coaches also want to respect the athlete's integrity. The summary for the last main question, which was, what knowledge do the trainers need more of in further work with menstruations impact on training, they themselves described that they need more practically applicable research, a more open discussion climate and time for continuing education.  Conclusion: The conclusion was that more knowledge is needed about menstruations impact on training and more of the general knowledge about menstruation. More education is required and that the trainers must actively work with the subject. Around the communication with athletes, the coaches need time to get to know their athletes and build a trust that must then be maintained and nurtured from both the athlete's and the coach's side. A strong coach- athlete relationship. The coaches also need further education to increase their knowledge in order to feel comfortable and to be able to answer the questions that may arise about menstruations impact on training.