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Objectives: Injury is a common and challenging experience for many athletes, and return-to-sport outcomes have been persistently poor despite advancements in research and practice. To ameliorate this challenge and to bridge a gap that exists in the sport injury literature between theoretical conceptualization and intervention design, research is needed to explore team-based approaches to professional practice. The current study aimed to begin this work through exploration of a single performance management team (PMT) through 2 injury and rehabilitation cases leading into and across the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Design: Qualitative, interpretative phenomenological analysis. Method: Interviews were conducted with the 5 members of the PMT (coach, physiotherapist, sport psychology consultant, case manager, and athlete) involved in both injury cases. Lower-order and higher order themes were identified and interpreted through the extent literature. Results: Results indicate that 3 higher order themes interacted to impact the lived experiences of the PMT members across the 2 injury cases. Participants described the sociocultural context that surrounded the team, the individual struggles they faced, and the functioning of the team as the primary contributors to their lived experiences as well as observed rehabilitation outcomes. Conclusions: Findings of this study mirror previous research in team science within the general health care domain, and prompt ongoing exploration of how to improve the experiences for PMT members as well as rehabilitation and return-to-sport outcomes for athletes.

Wu-wei is an important construct but is rarely discussed in the sport psychology literature. The present discussion fills the gap in literature and provides a conceptual overview of the wu-wei alternative. After explaining wu-wei briefly, the current state of mindfulness research is discussed to highlight the lack of research in understanding wu-wei and non-striving in sport psychology. In addition, the links between wu-wei and relevant constructs including mindfulness, non-striving, flow, nonduality, Zen, Mushin, motivation, goals, and implicit learning were clarified. Furthermore, suggestions on incorporating wu-wei as part of mindfulness training for athletes and possible future research directions are provided. In this difficult time of the global pandemic, wu-wei or non-striving mindset can help supporting athletes’ well-being and pursuit of goals beyond winning and striving.

Motivation for performing sport is complex because most athletes have multiple motivations, including extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Understanding the motivation dynamics of athletes, especially after a sports injury, is crucial because the injury may have a detrimental effect on the athlete's psychosocial conditions. This study figured out the motivation level of Paralympic athletics athletes after injury. A total of 44 Paralympic athletes were involved in the survey. The Sports Motivation Scale (SMS) was used to identify the level of athlete motivation. The SMS was developed within the Self Determination Theory (SDT) framework to assess various forms of motivation, namely amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, integrated regulation, and intrinsic motivation. This study found that out of 44 Paralympic athletics athletes after an injury, 5 (4.55%) of the athletes reported high levels of amotivation, and 15 (34.09%) of the athletes were identified in the moderate level of amotivation. This finding indicates that injury does not impact amotivation, as the athletes exhibit a high level of extrinsic motivation (external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, integrated regulation) and intrinsic motivation. Based on these motivation profiles, the Paralympic coaches should adjust their approach in motivating the Paralympic athletes to return to their training and competitions after injury.

Burnout is a psychological syndrome of reaction to chronic stress that occurs in athletes who feel exhausted by a sport activity that was previously pleasurable and enjoyable. One technique to prevent and control the syndrome is through coping, which is the ability to deal with stressful situations. In contrast to traditional cross-sectional approaches, this study aimed to investigate burnout and coping strategy characteristics over time and to analyze the relationship between burnout dimensions and coping strategies. Fifty-four high-level volleyball athletes (twenty-eight men and twenty-six women, age M = 25.57, SD = 4.72, range 18-35) completed paper-and-pencil measures of burnout and coping four times throughout a sport season. The Friedman test presented a significant increase in the reduced sense of athletic accomplishment (X2 = 20.58; p < 0.01) and sport devaluation (X2 = 19.83; p < 0.01) perceptions during the season. However, no coping differences were observed through the longitudinal analysis. Burnout dimensions showed a moderate inverse correlation to confidence/motivation at all measurement points during the season. Overall, the findings suggest that burnout perceptions increase as the season progresses, highlighting the relevance for the periodization of burnout prevention and control

The purpose of this study was to investigate how holistic sport psychology consultants can begin to think with concepts from sport sociology to enhance the provision of their services to athletes. More specifically, this study explored the ways in which various dominant practices within sport can affect holistic sport psychologists’ efforts to help athletes act authentically. Empirical material included observations of athletes and coaches, who were all part of the Gold Medal Soccer Academy, along with a series of interviews with four athletes. The results indicated the importance of holistic sport psychology consultants taking into consideration a variety of social influences that can limit and restrict athletes’ opportunities to develop their authentic selves through their sport participation.

This review presents readers with an overall picture about what China sport psychologists are doing and what concerns they have in their research and practice. Firstly, organisational structure, important academic activities, and accreditation system of China sport psychology are introduced. Next, we present the three research areas of China sport psychology, i.e., competition psychology, exercise psychology, and psychology of physical education. In addition, three mental training models proposed by Chinese sport psychologists are discussed, i.e., the comprehensive model for psychological development, adversity training model, and psychological development system for Chinese athletes. In the last section of this review, the authors analyze prospective research areas for sport psychology, including perception and decision making in sport, neuro-efficiency and neuro-plasticity, self-control and sport performance, athletes’ mental health, dose effect of mental health promotion through exercises, moderators on the relationship between exercise and mental health, and the intention-behavior gap in physical and mental health promotion through exercise.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of competition anxiety upon sports performance of elite athletes who took part in the “31st National Games held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP), Pakistan. Methodology: One hundred and twenty-eight (N=128) males= 88, females= 40; Age 21.9 +/-1.5 years; Sports Experience, 8.9 +/-1.7 years) provided the required information on 15-items Sports Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT). The history of sports performance of athletes was obtained during breaks within competitive fixtures. Main Findings: The analyzed data revealed that competitive anxiety is responsible for 38% change in sports performance. Furthermore, the relationship is moderate negative identifying that an increase in competitive anxiety decreases the sports performance of athletes (r=-0.386, P=.002). Additionally, comparative analyses indicated that female athletes and athletes from individual sports showed higher levels of Competition Anxiety, while male athletes and athletes with team sport reported lower levels of Competition Anxiety (P

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 tow...

Due to the COVID-19-pandemic, all cycling races during spring 2020 were cancelled, thus requiring cyclists to act in resilient ways. This cross-sectional study examined in a sample of 207 cyclists (M age = 26.81) whether different motivational profiles can be identified and whether these profile differences relate to (a) the extent to which cyclists get their basic psychological needs satisfied during this pandemic and (b) the type of self-regulation strategies cyclists use to motivate themselves to continue their training. Cluster analyses revealed four motivational profiles (i.e., a good quality, high quantity, low quantity, and poor quality profile) that differed in terms of autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, and amotivation. Results indicated that the profile characterised by autonomous motivation (i.e., good quality) yielded the most adaptive outcomes, while the profile characterised by the combination of controlled motivation and amotivation (i.e., poor quality) yielded the least optimal outcomes. This research shows that cyclists’ capacity to cope with the pandemic in a resilient way depends on the presence of both a sufficient dose and high-quality motivation. © 2021 International Society of Sport Psychology.

Mindfulness Acceptance Commitment (MAC) approach has been introduced into the sport psychology field and has shown a lot of interest in the applied practices. Athletes who receive MAC approach are ...

Quality of life and psychological health in the field of competitive sport are emergent research topics, specifically for issues such as sport anxiety and depression. With the rise of contemplative practices, yoga has started to be used and included as part of athletes’ mental training. This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the impact of yoga interventions on quality of life, performance anxiety and sport performance among healthy elite adult athletes. Based on PRISMA guidelines, this systematic review includes articles published up to December 2019. The search strategy was conducted in six databases (PUBMED, EMBASE, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, SportDiscuss and Erudit). Screened by two independent researchers, only six of the 37 articles drawn from the search met the preselected inclusion criteria and moved forward to the data extraction process. Data from six trials of poor quality (M = 46.91%, SD = 13.39, IRR of 92%) were included in this comprehensive literature search, indicating that elite athletes benefit from yoga interventions (with or without mindfulness), in terms of changes in performance anxiety M = 65% (SD = 122.49), sport performance M = 7.9% (SD = 5.46) and life satisfaction. These interventions lasted on average 5.7 weeks (SD = 2.07). Based on the collected evidence, methodological and measurement limitations of the sport psychology literature should be addressed to improve the replicability of reported results. Overall, this review provides encouraging but limited evidence for the value of yoga interventions in healthy adult athletes. However, the important reporting inconsistencies and theoretical limitations that have been raised highlight the need for trials with greater methodological rigor.

This study explored the experiences of elite athletes during the initial stages of lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The eight recruited participants (three females, five males) were asked to tell a story of their lockdown experience. Narrative analysis was used to explore the athletes’ stories. The athletes’ narrative is best represented in four distinct sections: (a) threat to goals, (b) ongoing consequences, (c) overcoming COVID-19, and (d) adapting to COVID-19. Four narrative themes were also coconstructed from the athletes’ stories: (a) factors athletes found challenging, (b) loss, (c) strategies that benefitted athletes psychologically, and (d) silver linings. Combined, these findings suggest that the initial stages of lockdown are best described as a critical pause. The authors present applied implications for athletes and sport psychology practitioners. The authors also recommend that future research investigate the longitudinal effect of prolonged lockdown on athletes’ lives and a potential return to sport.

Attitudes towards sport psychology may explain why, or why not, athletes use psychological services. To measure these attitudes, Martin, Kellmann, Lavallee, and Page (2002) created the Sport Psychology Attitudes- Revised instrument (SPA-R), which has been used in different countries in recent years. The objective of this study is to obtain a Spanish version of this instrument and present its first evidence of reliability, validity and invariance in a sample of 332 Spanish athletes. After carrying out the back-translation of the scale, the different factorial models present in the literature were tested, confirming the four-factor structure. The invariance across age, sex and sport psychology experience and confirmatory reliability is demonstrated, permitting the use of this scale in the Spanish-speaking population. The results obtained are compared with the attitudes of athletes from different countries towards the sport psychology service.

About 70% of youth athletes drop out of sport by age 13. Self-determination theory has been utilised to investigate athletes’ motivations for behaviours including sport persistence (i.e. continuation) and suggests that the coach can be an influence on such motivations. Basic need fulfillment via interpersonal coaching behaviours, the coach-athlete relationship (CAR), and intentions to continue sport participation have been examined independently and in various combinations and directions, but these variables have not been examined collectively in this manner. The purpose of this study was to determine if CAR quality mediates the relationship between interpersonal coaching behaviours and intentions to continue sport participation. Surveys were administered to 148 athletes ages 11 to 16 from organised sports teams. No significant indirect effects of mediation could be established. However, there was a significant and direct effect of competence-supportive behaviours on intentions ( β = .341, p 2 = .114). Significant positive relationships were shown among supportive coach behaviours and CAR quality in addition to CAR quality and intentions. Negative relationships were demonstrated among thwarting coach behaviours and CAR quality. Results support that coaches’ competence-supportive behaviours can positively impact CAR quality and intentions to continue sport participation in youth athletes.

Diversos são os aspectos que envolvem a prática esportiva, como as regras, a interação com outros participantes, o ambiente, os materiais utilizados, em muitos a torcida que está presente e o foco da pesquisa, que é a influência dos pais e familiares. Este último responsável por fazer parte do primeiro contexto social de nossas vidas, considerando tanto para o cenário esportivo quanto o social. Desta forma o trabalho buscou em publicações científicas identificar os fatores de interferência externa na prática de atividades esportivas, principalmente na relação parental. Foi utilizado o percurso de pesquisa bibliográfica, sendo desenvolvido por material já elaborado, como livros e artigos científicos, adotando-se do caráter qualitativo para análise e reflexão dos dados, prezou-se pela seleção e análise de trabalhos na língua portuguesa e língua inglesa. Através da análise dos dados foi possível destacar os principais fatores emocionais e psicológicos que envolvem o relacionamento entre pais e atletas, discutindo o papel da psicologia do esporte, rendimento esportivo e a sua prática, apontando as principais alternativas que melhoram essa relação parental no esporte. Portando foi possível aumentar os níveis de compreensão para os diversos aspectos psicológicos de influência externa que podem interferência no comportamento durante a prática de atividades esportivas e também em sociedade.

Imagery and empathy are both important resources for athletes’ performance. Although the imagery is frequently used in sport psychology, its relationship with dispositional empathy remains largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between multidimensionally defined empathy and the ability to use the imagery in athletes, and more specifically whether empathy and general imagery ability (and their interaction) can predict the use of situational imagery components. The study’s sample consisted of 279 athletes (including 98 women) with different levels of expertise: regional (n = 94), national (n = 94), and international (n = 91). The average age was approximately 20 years (M = 20.5, SD = 1.02, min. = 18, max. = 26). The Imagination in Sport Questionnaire and the Empathic Sensitiveness Scale were the instruments used in the study. The results indicated that there was a repeated interaction between personal distress and general imagery in the complementary impact on situational imagery. Our study has applied implications and is relevant for illuminating the link between imagery and empathy.

The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Athletes’ Perceptions of the Coach-related Critical Attitudes Scale (APoCCAS), using three independent samples of Portuguese adult athletes. In the first stage, the items were developed to assess athletes’ perceptions of coach-related critical attitudes and the items’ factorial structure were explored via a principal components analysis. In a second stage, the findings of Principal Components Analysis were confirmed and cross-validated using confirmatory factor analysis with two independent samples of athletes. The development of a pool of items resulted in a 10-item with a unifactorial structure. This scale presented high internal consistency, adequate convergent validity, and presented a negative association with self-reassurance and positive associations with self-criticism, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. The APoCCAS demonstrated to be a short and reliable measure of the athletes’ perceptions regarding coach-related critical attitudes and seems to be useful for practice and research fields in clinical sport psychology. By highlighting the associations between the athletes’ perception of coach-related critical attitudes and mental health indicators, this study could create a space to alert coaches towards the effect of their attitudes on athletes’ mental health.

There appears to be general agreement that interaction with significant challenge should be a central feature of the development pathways for future high performers. There is, however, far less clarity about how such programs should be designed and delivered against core psychological principles. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to offer guidelines for talent development practitioners seeking to offer athletes the opportunity to maximize their growth and development. The authors propose that genuinely developmental experiences will likely offer a level of emotional disturbance and, as a result, more fully engage performers, prompting self and other facilitated reflection, and motivate future action. Furthermore, there is a necessity for these experiences and their follow-up, to be managed in a coherent manner and integrated with existing skills, experience, and future performance aims. In highlighting these issues, the authors offer recommendations for talent development coaches, managers, psychologists, and parents of athletes.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among coaches’ authentic leadership and athletes’ psychological capital (PsyCap), performance satisfaction, and psychological well-being. The authors recruited 224 athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics in the United States. The results indicated that the authentic leadership of the head coaches positively influenced the athletes’ PsyCap levels. The enhanced PsyCap, in turn, positively influenced both performance satisfaction and psychological well-being. The interaction effect of student development was found in the relationship between authentic leadership and PsyCap. The findings contribute to an improved understanding of a head coach’s authentic behaviors in sport teams, and also illuminate how athletes’ performance satisfaction and psychological well-being can be augmented by PsyCap enhancement.

Introdução: A Psicologia do Esporte é uma ciência em constante evolução e conhecer seus princípios basilares pode contribuir para maior compreensão dos fenômenos envolvidos. Objetivo: Recuperar e destacar aspectos importantes da Psicologia do Esporte identificados em suas origens. Desenvolvimento: Foi desenvolvida uma resenha descritiva da obra original, que procura apresentar a Teoria do Contínuo Energético Bipolar – o continuum de energia corpo-mente proposta pelo autor. Conclusão: Foram recuperados e destacados aspectos importantes da Psicologia do Esporte que podem esclarecer e complementar o conhecimento no tema aos interessados: psicólogos, treinadores, atletas e demais integrantes de equipes técnicas esportivas. Considerou-se a obra uma leitura basilar no tema abordado. A Psicologia do Esporte preocupa-se tanto com o desempenho esportivo quanto à saúde e bem-estar do atleta e tais princípios devem, também, ser aplicados nas aulas de Educação Física a fim de favorecer o desenvolvimento integral dos alunos.

PiepioraPaweł. A review of personality research in sport. Pedagogy and Psychology of Sport. 2020;6(4):64-83. elSSN 2450-6605. DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.12775/PPS.2020.06.04.007 https://apcz.umk.pl/czasopisma/index.php/PPS/article/view/PPS.2020.06.04.007 https://zenodo.org/record/4290845 The journal has had 5 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. § 8. 2) and § 12. 1. 2) 22.02.2019. © The Authors 2020; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author (s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non commercial license Share alike. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 03.11.2020. Revised: 16.11.2020. Accepted: 25.11.2020. A review of personality research in sport Paweł Piepiora(https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6525-3936) Affiliation:University School of Physical Education in Wrocław Contact:Paweł Piepiora, University School of Physical Education in Wrocław, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Department of Sports Didactics, I. J. Paderewskiego 35 street, P-2 room 246, 51-612 Wrocław, Poland, phone: +48605 39 54 32, e-mail: pawel.piepiora@awf.wroc.pl Abstract Background and aim.The significant role of personality in sport is often emphasized. The purpose of this article is to review the research in sport psychology that has contributed to the understanding of relationships and potential avenues for research into personality traits in sport. Matherial and method.The collected material consisted only of the works of sports psychologists available in Poland. The method of source materials analysis was used. Analysis with deductive reasoning and synthesis with inductive reasoning were used. Results.The results of research on: the relationship between personality and sports discipline, the role of personality in combat, individual and team sports, the influence of personality on sports performance and motor skills, accidental studies of personality in sports and health psychology, developmental psychology, dietetics, and gender are presented. Conclusions.Physical and sports activity affects the personality of people who train. Personality traits relate to long-term sport success, interpersonal relationships, and mental states of athletes before, during and after competition. In addition, they refer to the use of leisure time, strength and mobility in old age, and unhealthy, addictive physical behavior. Key words:sport psychology, personality, sport, research

The current study examined how two high-level coaches in fencing and football perceived the challenges that emerged during a three-month coach education programme aimed at them delivering psychological skills training to athletes. We used action research as the study design and collected data using observations, six semi-structured interviews, and one focus group. We analysed the data using a thematic content analysis. Our findings showed that the coaches struggled with role clarity. The psychological impact was that coaches struggled with identifying the borders between delivering psychological skills training as a part of their coaching and when to refer athletes to sport psychology experts. The coaches also suggested that gaining more knowledge in sport psychology allowed them to analyse the athletes. However, the coaches viewed this as a potential area for abusing trust in the coach-athlete relationship. We suggest that coach education programmes should include content on ethical dilemmas to safeguard against potential abuse of the coach-athlete relationship.

This study aimed to examine the relationships between involvement and happiness across a typology of Masters Games participants. The typology of Trauer, Ryan, and Lockyer [(2003). The South Pacific...

Approximately 90% of players in Minor League Baseball will be released at some point in their career. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore the role of individuals’ basic psychological needs during the release from professional baseball and throughout their subsequent transition to a new career. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 former Minor League Baseball players. Thematic analysis generated four themes: (a) The release resulted in immediate but temporary basic psychological need thwarting, (b) the “liberating experience” of the release allowed individuals to perceive autonomy in the transition out of affiliated baseball, (c) perceptions of competence served as the foundation for a positive transition to a new career, and (d) meaningful connections fostered individuals’ perception of relatedness in the transition out of affiliated baseball. The findings suggest that need fulfillment might act as a buffer between potential stressors in the transition process and athletes’ cognitive, emotional, and behavioral response.

Biofeedback is among the various self-regulation techniques that mental performance consultants can utilize in their practice with athletes. Biofeedback produces psychophysiological assessments in real time to enhance awareness of thoughts and emotions. Quantitatively, research shows that biofeedback can facilitate self-regulation, allowing an athlete to gain control over psychophysiological responses that could be detrimental to performance. With technology becoming a widespread tool in monitoring psychophysiological states, an exploration of consultants’ use of biofeedback, their perceptions of effectiveness, and limitations of their use was warranted to qualitatively evaluate efficiency of the tool. A qualitative descriptive approach was taken through semistructured interviews with 10 mental performance consultants. Inductive reasoning uncovered three themes: positive implications, practical limitations, and equipment options. With biofeedback, athletes have the ability to develop a deeper level of self-awareness and thereby facilitate the use of self-regulation strategies intended for optimal performance states and outcomes.

Efficacy beliefs and communication are key constructs that have been targeted to develop task cohesion. This study’s purpose was to (a) examine whether collective efficacy, team-focused other-efficacy, and team-focused relation-inferred self-efficacy are predictive of task cohesion and (b) evaluate the possibility that communication mediates efficacy–task cohesion relationships. British university team-sport athletes (N = 250) completed questionnaires assessing efficacy beliefs, communication (i.e., positive conflict, negative conflict, and acceptance communication), and task cohesion (i.e., attractions to group, group integration). Data were subjected to a multigroup path analysis to test mediation hypotheses while also addressing potential differences across males and females. Across all athletes, collective efficacy and team-focused other-efficacy significantly predicted attractions to group and group integration directly. Positive conflict and acceptance communication significantly mediated relationships between efficacy (team-focused other-efficacy, collective efficacy) and cohesion (attractions to group, group integration). Findings suggest that enhancing athletes’ collective efficacy and team-focused efficacy beliefs will encourage communication factors affecting task cohesion.

Using the framework of multidisciplinary best practice recommendations promoted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, this study used a mixed-methods approach to investigate Division I student-athletes’ perceived access to and satisfaction with mental health service availability. Participants were asked about their satisfaction with direct (e.g., counseling, psychiatry, assessment) and indirect (e.g., mental health outreach, educational workshops) service availability, both on campus and within athletics. Results from a researcher-generated survey indicated that participants were moderately satisfied with service availability in each of the four contexts. Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that student-athletes’ satisfaction was predicted by different factors for each service type-location combination. Qualitative data contained requests for more athlete-centered mental health services as well as more preventative outreach in general. These data provide a foundation for understanding factors that influence student-athletes’ satisfaction with mental health service availability and offer practical implications for current best practice recommendations.

El objetivo de esta investigación fue describir los síntomas conductuales, cognitivos y fisiológicos del síndrome de burnouten deportistas, así como conocer si existen diferencias en la percepción del síndrome de burnoutentre un grupo de expertos que habían tenido algún deportista con burnout y otro que no lo había tenido. Los participantes del estudio fueron 28 expertos en Psicología del Deporte, 11 mujeres y 17 hombres (M edad = 46,75 años; DT= 10,98) a quienes se les administró tres cuestionarios semiestructurados Delphi diseñados específicamente por los investigadores. Ambos grupos destacan como síntomas conductuales: falta de adherencia al entrenamiento y bajo rendimiento deportivo; como síntomas cognitivos: desvalorización de la práctica deportiva e ideas de abandono del deporte; y como síntomas fisiológicos: tensión, y agotamiento físico. Con el acercamiento a la sintomatología característica presentada por los deportistas con el síndrome en este estudio se ha pretendido obtener una mejor comprensión del burnouten el ámbito deportivo. En función de esta información, se podrían desarrollar estrategias tanto de prevención como de intervención, dirigidas a prevenir o tratar la principal sintomatología. ABSTRACT: The aim of the current researchwas to increase the knowledge of the behavioural, cognitive and physiological symptoms of burnout in athletes, additionally knowing if there are differences in the perception of burnout syndrome between a group of experts who had had an athlete with burnout and another who did not have it. The study participants were 28 experts in Sports Psychology, 11 women and 17 men (M age = 46.75 years; SD = 10.98) being administered three semi-structured Delphi questionnaires specifically designed by researchers. Bothgroups highlight as behavioural symptoms: lack of training adherence and low sport performance; as cognitive symptoms: sport devaluation and ideas of drop out of sport; and as physiologicalsymptoms: tension and physical exhaustion. With the approach to the characteristic symptomatology presented by athletes with the syndrome in this study, we tried to get a better understanding of burnout in the sports field. Related to this information, both prevention and intervention strategies might be developed, aimed at preventing or treating the main symptomatology. RESUMO: O objetivo desta pesquisa foi aumentar o conhecimento sobre os sintomas comportamentais, cognitivos e fisiológicos da síndrome de burnout em atletas, bem como saber se existem diferenças na percepção da síndrome de burnout entre um grupo de especialistas que teve um atleta com burnout e outro que não teve. Os participantes do estudo foram 28 especialistas em Psicologia do Esporte, 11 mulheres e 17 homens (idade M = 46,75 anos; DP = 10,98) que receberam três questionários Delphi semiestruturados, especificamente projetados por pesquisadores. Ambos os grupos se destacam como sintomas comportamentais: falta de adesão ao treinamento e baixo desempenho atlético; como sintomas cognitivos: desvalorização da prática esportiva e idéias de abandono do esporte; e como sintomas fisiológicos: tensão e exaustão física. Se plantean propuestas de futuro como analizar otras variables relacionadas con el síndrome. Com a abordagem da sintomatologia característica apresentada pelos atletas com a síndrome neste estudo, procuramosobter uma melhor compreensão do burnout no campo esportivo. Com base nesta informação, estratégias de prevenção e intervenção poderiam ser desenvolvidas, visando prevenir ou tratar os principais sintomas.

The subject of motivation in sports is a widely debated one in the professional literature, either by psychologists or by coaches, most of the times stopping at the identification of the main markers that favor or hurt top performance.The purpose variable in relation to the nature and aim of the sport, and to the motivation, where the results were almost identical. This study provides information regarding the reaching of motivational goals by individual and team sports athletes, by highlighting the components that will allow the athletes to face the negative psychological states successfully and to be able to express their peak performance ability.For this study, a group of 86 male athletes were selected, aged 18-25, divided into two groups, one for individual sports and one for team sports. The hypothesis was that there are not any significant differences between the individual and team sports athletes in regards to motivation.

Background: It is necessary to deal with the aggressive behaviour of young people and find out whether sport can play a role in this area. So far, findings indicate modification role of sports activity and its type in terms of contact's occurrence, in the behavior of individuals. Objective: The aim of the study is to compare the level of the dimension of aggression and anxiety trait between nonathletes and contact and noncontact sport athletes and to assess the relationship between dimensions of aggression and the level of anxiety trait across the groups. Methods: The research group consisted of 153 males aged 22.07 ± 2.49 years: 47 contact sport athletes, 51 noncontact sport athletes and 55 nonathletes. Dimensions of aggression were evaluated by the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, anxiety trait was evaluated by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The differences between the groups were assessed with the Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test was used for posthoc pairwise comparisons. Relationship between dimensions of aggression and anxiety trait was assessed by the Spearman correlation coefficient. Results: We found that nonathletes were more physically aggressive than contact sport athletes and they also displayed a higher level of anger and hostility. Moreover, nonathletes were more hostile, physical and verbally aggressive than noncontact sport athletes. Nonathletes also had a higher level of anxiety trait than athletes. There was no difference between athletes in any dimension of aggression and anxiety trait level. Besides that, we found a significant relationship between anxiety trait level and physical aggression across the groups. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that sports activity can be beneficial for personality in both contact and noncontact athletes. Sport activity may be one of the factors which increase the possibility of releasing of aggression, while "contactness" of the sport does not play any major role in the aggression of athletes.

Salient aspects of an athlete’s identity hold implications for how sport psychology practitioners conceptualize and intervene on both the mental health and performance realms of the athlete person. Given that spirituality, religiosity, and gratitude have been associated in previous literature, the current study examined whether athletes differed in dispositional gratitude based on their spiritual and religious identification. Results indicated that among 331 NCAA Division I-III athletes, those who identified as both spiritual and religious scored significantly higher in dispositional gratitude than self-identified spiritual/non-religious and non-spiritual/non-religious athletes. Non-spiritual/non-religious and spiritual/non-religious athletes did not significantly differ in levels of gratitude. Findings and limitations of the current study warrant further investigation on this topic, and recommendations for future research and practice are provided.

Preperformance routines are microlevel performance processes utilized by athletes to facilitate the attainment of an optimal state and enhance the chance for successful performance. Despite continued examination of these routines, only a small proportion of research has been directed toward the cognitive component of these routines. This study explored the cognitive component of elite high jumpers’ preperformance routines, and specifically the consistency of the cognitive content (i.e., psychological skills and strategies). Data were acquired over an 8-week high-jump season and subjected to inductive thematic analysis. Results revealed the consistent implementation of the cognitive content (e.g., visualization) but an inconsistent design of this content (i.e., the content of the visualization). Furthermore, results underline the critical role of high-jump coaches and an athlete’s need to be adaptable and competent in utilizing various types of preperformance routine. This study offers valuable insight into the complexities and inconsistencies of the cognitive component of high jumpers’ preperformance routines.

Sport specialization has been linked to multiple negative health related outcomes including increased injury risk and sport attrition, yet a gap remains in our understanding of potential psychological outcomes of early specialization (≤ age 12). The current study evaluated the associations between retrospective athlete reports of sport specialization and both retroactive and current psychological health outcomes. Early specializers reported significantly higher levels of multiple maladaptive psychological outcomes (e.g., global athlete burnout, emotional and physical exhaustion, sport devaluation, amotivation). Overall, findings suggest that specialization environment factors, in addition to the age of specialization, are potentially critical factors in determining health and well-being outcomes. Findings support prominent position statements suggesting early specialization may be associated with increased health risks. Study findings may also inform the development of guidelines and recommendations to aid parents, coaches, and athletes in positively impacting athlete psychosocial outcomes.

Despite the growing popularity of mindfulness and acceptance-based performance enhancement methods in applied sport psychology, evidence for their efficacy is scarce. The purpose of the current study is to test the feasibility and effect of a psychological training program based on Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) developed for ice hockey players. A controlled group feasibility designed study was conducted and included 21 elite male ice hockey players. The ACT program consisted of four, once a week, sessions with homework assignments between sessions. The results showed significant increase in psychological flexibility for the players in the training group. The outcome was positive for all feasibility measures. Participants found the psychological training program important to them as ice hockey players and helpful in their ice hockey development. Desirably, future studies should include objective performance data as outcome measure to foster more valid evidence for performance enhancement methods in applied sport psychology.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation between temperament and stress, to assess the stress level and perform comparative analysis of feeling of stress before and after the race. The test group consisted of 30 competitors from Mazovian cycling clubs between the ages of 15 and 16 (M = 15.5, SD = 0.50). Standard psychological questionnaires were used for the study. The level of stress was tested using the PSS 10 questionnaire by S. Cohen, T. Kamarck and R. Mermelstein. In addition, temperament was studied with Formal Characteristics of Behaviour – Temperament Inventory by Zawadzki and Strelau (1997). Measures were used to determine the constant predisposition of cyclists to feel the level of stress, as well as to show the intensity of stress during sports competitions (before and after the start). Statistical analyses carried out with the Wilcoxon test showed a significant difference between the initial and final value of the stress level as a condition in the subjects. It was found that in the same people, stress reached a higher average level after the race (M = 17.8, SD = 6) than before the performance (M = 11.83, SD = 5.9). The results show that the state of stress does not decrease after the start, as occurs with other variables (including emotional arousal). The results showed that stress measured before and after the start of a competition positively correlates with perseverance and emotional reactivity, while stress before the start negatively correlates with briskness. Observations from the analyses carried out may broaden the understanding of the phenomenon of stress, especially in aspects of sport competition and track cyclists.

Up to 20% of retiring athletes continue to experience crisis transitions, characterised by a lack of adjustment, ongoing psychological distress, depression and low self-esteem. Crisis transitions r...

Depression levels in collegiate athletes are consistent with or higher than those of the general population [Cox (2015). Investigating the prevalence and risk-factors of depression symptoms among N...

The aims of this study were to adapt the Hungarian version of the Sport Commitment Questionnaire-2 and test an expanded Sport Commitment Model (SCM) with psychological variables. Participants were 526 adolescent athletes (aged 14-18 years, 52.3% males). Applied scales were the following: Hungarian version of the Sport Commitment Questionnaire-2, Consideration of the Future Consequences Scale and Health Attitudes Scale. Exploratory, confirmatory, and path analysis were used for statistical analysis. Our result showed adequate construct validity of the Hungarian version of Sport Commitment Questionnaire-2. We found several positive predictors of Enthusiastic Commitment and three positive predictors of Constrained Commitment. We found that Health Attitudes had positive relationship with Constrained Commitment and it was associated with future goals and plans; whereas Enthusiastic Commitment had a positive relationship, and Constrained Commitment had a negative relationship with Future Orientation. Information about sport commitment provided by Sport Commitment Questionnaire may be useful as a tool to prevent dropout among young athletes.

Background & Aim: In sports, three groups of sports disciplines can be distinguished depending on the way of performing movement actions: a group with a significant degree of kinematic stabilization in the structure of sports technique; a group with a significant degree of stabilization of the dynamic structure of sports technique; a group with a significant degree of variation in sports technique. This study was intended to determine whether sport technique, depending on the degree of stabilisation and variability of movement actions, is a differentiator of athletes’ personality. Method: 90 Polish athletes (men, N=90) from clubs operating in the Polish region of Lower Silesia were purposefully selected for the study as part of three samples: breakdancers (n=30), swimmers (n=30) and shotokan style karatekas (n=30). All the subjects had been considerably successful at international sport competitions. The age of the subjects ranged between 20 and 29 years. The research method chosen was the NEO-FFI Personality Inventory. The basic statistical methods used were a one-way analysis of variance and post-hoc tests. The level of significance was set as the probability of p

Mental illness among elite and intercollegiate student-athletes is of growing concern, as researchers have found high rates of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders among this population. As a ...

More than 1,400 Latin American professional baseball players, age 16-21, are employed by 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) academies in the Dominican Republic. The popular press has highlighted scandals related to professional youth baseball player recruitment, selection, and exploitation in the academies, but little attention has been given to the academy experiences of youth baseball players from the perspective of the players themselves. For this research, 11 professional baseball players residing at an MLB Academy in the Dominican Republic participated in semi-structured interviews. Players described their transitions into the baseball academy system, their experiences in the academy, and their perceptions and expectations upon leaving or being released from the academy. Themes that emerged from the data included athletes’ hopes and dreams, stress, faith, and career transitions. Clinical implications of these findings for sport psychology practitioners are discussed.

Team building (TB) is recognized as one of the most prevalent and promising group-development interventions applied in sport. However, most coaches lack the necessary information to effectively and efficiently target and enhance specific group characteristics and processes. The aim of this study was to develop and apply the Team Environment AssessMent (TEAM) to better inform a TB intervention. Twenty-three male adolescent athletes (mean age 17.9 years) from an elite hockey team completed the TEAM and measures of cohesion before and after a TB intervention. Based on initial TEAM scores, role acceptance and leadership were identified and purposefully targeted in the TB intervention. Athletes’ perceptions of role acceptance, leadership, and task cohesion were stronger after the TB intervention. Furthermore, follow-up interviews with team members and coaches provided additional empirical support for the utility of the TEAM to assess and enhance the efficiency of a TB intervention in sport.

Participants were 181 sport performance professionals (SPPs); 92 reported being sexually attracted to their athlete-clients (ACs), though few SPPs sought supervision regarding such attractions. In ...

The objective of the current study was the investigation of anxiety and satisfaction levels among Elite Greek Youth athletes of Canoe-Kayak Sprint. Additionally, whether elements such as gender, age, athletic experience, and weekly practice-time, differentiated the sample. 122 athletes, (61 males and 61 females) between the ages of 15-17 yrs. old, who competed in the Hellenic Federation’s Canoe-Kayak Sprint National Championships. Study participants were invited to complete two questionnaires: a) the Greek version of “CSAI-2” (Stavrou, Zervas, Kakkos, & Psichoundaki, 1998), and b) the Greek version of the “Athlete Satisfaction” scale (Bebetsos & Theodorakis, 2003). Results of the conducted study revealed that the sample differentiated: a) on somatic, and cognitive anxiety, according to their athletic experience, and b) on somatic, and cognitive anxiety, self-confidence, leadership, and personal outcome, according to their weekly practice-time. Finally, no sex differences were found in any questionnaire variable. In conclusion, the survey results highlighted the importance of the psychological factors tested on Canoe-Kayak Sprint athletes’ performance. Knowing and understanding athletes’ psychological state, can help them out (the athletes) in identifying aspects such as stress and satisfaction that directly affect their racing performance.

Recent scientific studies conducted with athletes of various sports modalities showed that pre-competition anxiety directly affects the performance and yield of athletes, damaging their results. However, studies with wheelchair fencing athletes, as well as the influence of sex on pre-competition anxiety, have not yet been conducted. To analyse the influence of sex on pre-competition anxiety in wheelchair fencing athletes. The sample consisted of eighteen (n=18) athletes, divided into men (n=10) and women (n=8). All were competitors of wheelchair fencing, participants of the two Brazilian cups, the national sports calendar, in the year 2018, linked to the Brazilian Paralympic Committee. For data collection, the athletes responded to a semi-structured questionnaire with twenty questions related to life habits and physical, technical, tactical and psychological training and to the anxiety inventory of the competitive state test (CSAI-2R). In the analysis of the CSAI-2R test data there was no statistically significant difference in the total score between men and women (P>0.05). However, when analysing each question separately, some differences were found in questions regarding the body tense, afraid of poor performance and feeling stiffness, the score was higher in women when compared to men. In questions regarding confidence in facing the challenge and be safe, since they imagined reaching the initial objective, the score was higher in men when compared to women (P

The relationship athletes develop with their coaches is instrumental for improved sport performances and wellbeing. Sport psychologists have been encouraged to facilitate the development of effecti...

The purpose of this study was to examine elite youth athletes’ knowledge, perceptions, and understanding of sport psychology, psychological characteristics, and psychological skills. To address thi...