Mapping the theoretical, methodological, and empirical research landscape on elite sport retirement: a scoping review

Retirement from elite sport has been researched for about 60 years. This scoping review examines athletic retirement research among elite athletes since Park’s (2013a) review by summarising study and sample characteristics, mapping topics across knowledge levels (i.e. nomothetic, group-specific, type-specific, idiographic), and analysing the theoretical and methodological approaches employed. A systematic search was performed in six databases. Out of 7,860 screened articles, 130 were included: 57.7% qualitative, 34.6% quantitative, and 7.7% mixed methods. Most designs were cross-sectional or retrospective, and interviews and thematic analyses prevailing for data collection and analysis. ‘Retirement transition processes and experiences’ emerged as the most frequently analysed category. Most studies yielded nomothetic or group-specific knowledge; studies producing type-specific or idiographic insights were scarce. If a theoretical framework was specified, it was most often the conceptual model of adaptation to retirement and the holistic athletic career model. Furthermore, there is a lack of alignment between theoretical assumptions about athletic retirement (e.g. its holistic, dynamic, individual-specific nature) and methods applied (e.g. correlation design, investigation of linear relationships). Future studies should focus more on type-specific and idiographic knowledge to better support athletes, utilising appropriate methodologies (e.g. person-oriented approach) and considering the proposed refined definition of athletic retirement.