Search

Understanding the personality characteristics that help and/or hinder competitive success in sport is of great interest to many sport psychology researchers. Grit (i.e. passion and perseverance towards long-term goals) is one such construct that has recently gained popularity in the sport domain. This scoping review explored the associations between grit and the cognitive, affective, and behavioural variables that reside within athletes and sport settings. Ninety publications were identified through various search strategies. The majority of studies explored relationships between grit and athlete sex, athlete skill/competitive level, sport performance, motivation, mindfulness, self-compassion, and deliberate practice. Constructs that have been previously critiqued as sharing significant variance with grit were also collated from the existing research. Six collegiate-level coaches were consulted as knowledgeable stakeholders and provided input to the results of the scoping review. These results allowed for the identification of future research considerations, including ameliorating current issues regarding grit measurement in sport contexts, and the designing and testing of interventions aimed at increasing athlete grit levels. Additional research with stronger methodological design and rigour is needed, and recommendations to enhance the quality of future studies with athletes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with younger and middle-aged adults, older adults are less likely to adopt new computer technology, potentially limiting access to healthcare and many other important resources available online. This limitation could impact cognitive abilities, well-being, and mental health outcomes of older adults. The aims of the present study were to increase access to online county and healthcare resources, while also assessing the impact of technology access on cognitive functioning and multiple well-being domains. A pilot community collaboration provided a two-month tablet training intervention, focused on increasing digital independence via tablet navigation, resources access, and fraud and scam prevention, to 20 low-income older adult participants (75% female, Mage = 70.85). Pre- and post-test phone interviews were conducted to measure any changes in digital independence, cognitive abilities, well-being, mental health, and mindset. Linear mixed effects models revealed no significant changes in outcome measures from pre- to post-test. However, we found effects of digital independence on several well-being measures, providing important information for the impact of technology access and training for low-income older adults. This pilot intervention offers limited but promising results, inspiring further investigations that may inform public health and policy services to address barriers to access and potentially improve psychological health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel skill learning has been shown to have cognitive benefits in the short-term (up to a few months). Two studies expanded on prior research by investigating whether learning multiple novel real-world skills simultaneously (e.g. Spanish, drawing, music composition), for a minimum of six hours a week, would yield 1-year cognitive gains. Following a 3-month multi-skill learning intervention, Study 1 (N = 6, Mage = 66 years, SDage = 6.41) and Study 2 (N = 27, Mage = 69 years, SDage = 7.12) participants completed follow-up cognitive assessments 3 months, 6 months, and one year after the intervention period. Cognitive assessments tested executive function (working memory and cognitive control) and verbal episodic memory. Linear mixed-effects models revealed improvements in multiple cognitive outcomes from before the intervention to the follow-up timepoints. Specifically, executive function increased from pre-test to the 1-year follow-up for both studies (an effect driven mostly by cognitive control scores). Our findings provide evidence that simultaneously learning real-world skills can lead to long-term improvements in cognition during older adulthood. Future work with diverse samples could investigate individual differences in gains. Overall, our findings promote the benefits of lifelong learning, namely, to improve cognitive abilities in older adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During adolescence, deselection from sport occurs during team try-outs when month of birth, stage of growth and maturation may influence selection. The purpose of this study was to identify differences in growth and maturity related factors between those selected and deselected in youth sports teams and identify short-term associations with continued participation. Eight hundred and seventy participants, aged 11–17 years, were recruited from six sports try-outs in Saskatchewan, Canada: baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer and volleyball. Two hundred and forty-four of the initial 870 (28%) returned for follow-up at 36 months. Chronological (years from birth), biological (years from age at peak height velocity (APHV)) and relative (month of birth as it relates to the selection band) ages were calculated from measures of date of birth, date of test, height, sitting height and weight. Parental heights were measured or recalled and participant's adult height predicted. Reference standards were used to calculate z-scores. Sports participation was self-reported at try-outs and at 36-month follow-up. There was an over-representation of players across all sports born in the first and second quartiles of the selection bands (p < 0.05), whether they were selected or deselected. z-scores for predicted adult height ranged from 0.1 (1.1) to 1.8 (1.2) and were significantly different between sports (p < 0.05). Height and APHV differences (p < 0.05) were found between selected and deselected male participants. In females only weight differed between selected and deselected female hockey players (p < 0.05); no further differences were found between selected and deselected female participants. Four per cent of deselected athletes exited sports participation and 68% of deselected athletes remained in the same sport at 36 months, compared with 84% of selected athletes who remained in the same sport. It was found that youth who attended sports team's try-outs were more likely to be born early in the selection year, be tall for their age, and in some sports early maturers. The majority of both the selected and deselected participants continued to participate in sport 36 months after try-outs, with the majority continuing to participate in their try-out sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-compassion represents a shift in how to support performance and well-being in sport, and there has been recent attention directed toward the construct in both research and applied domains. To inform next steps in research and practice, we have reflected on self-compassion intervention and practice based on the current state of the literature and present key considerations for progressing understanding of self-compassion in sport. For the potential of self-compassion in supporting performance and well-being to truly be understood and harnessed, it is necessary to be strategic in addressing remaining fundamental questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In thü study, we explored the mle of heaüh-enhanängphysical activity (HEPA; Miilunpalo, 2001) in women's eudaimonic well bang (i.e., psychological flourishing at one's manmal potential; Ryff, 1989). We used a quantitative approach (N = 349) to explore the relationship betiueen HEPA and eudaimonic well bang. While HEPA was not related to eudaimonic well bang, experienang eudaimonia through HEPA contributed uniqu£ variance in eudaimonic well being beyond HEPA and experiencing hedonia through HEPA. As quality of activity was more important than quantity, a qualitative component (N= 10) provided further insight on if and how HEPA contributes to xvomen 's eudaimonic well being. Participants supported HEPA in fulfilling their potential through goal setting/striving, providing bonding experiences, allowing far self-reflection, and developing a physical/able body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]