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Background: The health benefits associated with recreational running are challenged by the occurrence of running-related injuries (RRIs). Effective preventive measures require knowledge of sport injury etiology. Psychological factors such as perfectionism, mental toughness, and passion are believed to predispose to sports injury by influencing training behaviors, motivation to run, and suppression of feelings of fatigue and pain. Yet their association with RRIs are understudied. Hypothesis: Perfectionism, mental toughness, and passion predict an increased risk of RRIs in recreational runners. Study Design: Prospective cohort study. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: A total of 143 recreational runners (age 34.9 ± 13.9 years, 37% women) with a response rate of 76.5% answered an online questionnaire about their characteristics, running behaviors, and psychological variables (perfectionism, mental toughness, and running passion) as well as a sports injury survey. Then, as a primary outcome, RRIs were recorded biweekly for 6 months. The incidence of injuries was expressed as RRI per 1000 hours of running. The association between predictive factors and RRIs was estimated using logistic regression. Results: The incidence of RRIs during follow-up was 5.16 per 1000 hours of running. The knee was the location injured most often (26.4%), followed by the foot (18.9%) and lower leg (13.2%). Higher obsessive passion (OP) for running (odds ratio [OR], 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04-1.20) and perfectionistic concerns (OR, 1.22; CI,1.05-1.41) were associated with a greater risk of RRIs, as were previous injury (OR, 2.49; CI,1.10-5.70), weekly running distance (OR,1.10; CI, 1.03-1.16), and both supinated (OR, 4.51; CI, 1.11-18.30) and pronated (OR, 3.55; CI, 1.29-9.80) foot type. Following a running schedule (OR, 0.24; CI, 0.09-0.66) was associated with a lower risk of RRIs. Conclusion: History of previous RRI, pronated and supinated foot type, weekly running distance, perfectionistic concerns, and OP increased RRI risk in recreational runners. Following a running schedule was a protective factor. Clinical Relevance: Multiple factors, including runners' psychological characteristics, predict RRIs. These findings can inform the development of injury risk management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the availability of specialized assessment tools, psychological readiness is usually not considered when deciding to return to sport (RTS) after sport injury. Reinjury anxiety, self-confidence, and functional attention may be associated with sport reinjury, making it important to evaluate these factors before RTS. To predict lower extremity reinjury in soccer players using self-confidence, functional attention, and reinjury anxiety as predictive variables. Prospective cohort study. Laboratory. Sixty-two male soccer players, who were older than 18 years of age, suffered from lower extremity injuries, had completed the rehabilitation program, and were ready to RTS. Before returning to the sport, participants completed a preseason questionnaire on their previous injuries, self-confidence, reinjury anxiety, and level of functional attention. The primary outcome measured was the risk of reinjury during the upcoming competitive season, and logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to determine the association between each risk factor and reinjury. The overall reinjury rate was 5.56 injuries per 1000 hours of play. Self-confidence scores of ≤47 increased the risk of reinjury by 2.26 times (relative risk = 2.26; 95% CI, 1.31–3.91; OR = 5.00; 95% CI, 1.56–16.04), and each unit increase in self-confidence score reduced the risk of reinjury by 10% (OR = 0.90; CI, 0.82–0.99; P =.03). Regarding reinjury anxiety, a score of >22 was associated with 2.43 times the risk of reinjury (relative risk = 2.43; 95% CI, 1.44–4.13; OR = 6.46; 95% CI, 1.93–21.69), and each unit increase in reinjury anxiety score increased the risk of injury by 45% (OR = 1.45; CI, 1.13–0.87; P =.004). Increased reinjury anxiety and decreased self-confidence are associated with higher odds of lower extremity reinjury in male soccer players. To reduce the risk of reinjury, athletic trainers and sport psychologists should take these psychological factors into account when evaluating the psychological readiness of soccer players with a history of lower extremity injury to RTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Currently the use of prohibited performance-enhancing substances (PES) in fitness and gym settings is a public health concern as adverse health consequences are emerging. Understanding the characteristics of gymgoers who do not use these substances could lead to an important complement to the ongoing research about risk factors for PES use. The aim of this study was to identify the profile of PES non-use in gym-goers. Methods: In total, 453 gym-goers (mean age = 35.64 years; SD = 13.08 - measure of central tendency location and measure of absolute dispersion, respectively) completed an online survey assessing sociodemographic factors, exercise characteristics, gym modalities, peers, social influence, attitudes, subjective norms, beliefs, intentions, and self-reported use of PES. Results: Decision Trees showed that being a woman, training less frequently, not practicing bodybuilding and having a negative intention to consume PES were identified as characteristics of non-users of PES. Discussion: These results may support evidence-based anti-doping interventions to prevent abusive use of PES in the fitness context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grounded in Lazarus's (1991, 1999, 2000) cognitive-motivational-relational theory of emotions, we tested a model of achievement goals, stress appraisals, emotions, and coping. We predicted that precompetitive achievement goals would be associated with appraisals, appraisals with emotions, and emotions with coping in our model. The mediating effects of emotions among the overall sample of 827 athletes and two stratified random subsamples were also explored. The results of this study support our proposed model in the overall sample and the stratified subsamples. Further, emotion mediated the relationship between appraisal and coping. Mediation analyses revealed that there were indirect effects of pleasant and unpleasant emotions, which indicates the importance of examining multiple emotions to reveal a more accurate representation of the overall stress process. Our findings indicate that both appraisals and emotions are just as important in shaping coping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore situational determinants of goal-directed self-talk and to advance our understanding of athletes' goal-directed self-talk functions. Participants were 97 young adult athletes (Mage = 20.36; SD = 3.38), competing at regional, national, and international level. In face-to-face meetings, participants were guided to describe situations in which they had used goal-directed self-talk. Subsequently, they were asked to report what their goal-directed self-talk in these situations had been. Both inductive and deductive data analyses were used to address the research questions. Regarding the situations, participants used goal-directed self-talk mainly in a variety of situations in training, and before, during and after competition. Furthermore, they also employed self-talk to better handle substitutions, injuries and interpersonal conflicts. Regarding self-talk functions, the initial coding scheme was expanded with additional categories to add depth and specificity to the model. Specifically, newly described self-talk functions relate to performance analyses, goal-orientation promotion, reasons underlying persistence, time perceptions and down-regulation of excessive confidence. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that athletes have different self-talk functions at their disposal, to manage a large variety of situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of concurrent verbal protocols to identify and map thought processes of players during a golf-putting task. Three novice golfers and three experienced golfers performed twenty 12-foot putts while thinking aloud. Verbalizations were transcribed verbatim and coded using an inductive method. Content analysis and event-sequence analysis were performed. Mapping of thought sequences indicated that experienced players' cognitive processes centered on gathering information and planning, while beginners focused on technical aspects. Experienced players diagnosed current performance aspects more often than beginners did and were more likely to use this information to plan the next putt. These results are consistent with experienced players' higher domain-specific knowledge and less reliance on step-by-step monitoring of motor performance than beginners. The methods used for recording, analyzing, and interpreting on-line thoughts of performers shed light on cognitive processes, which have implications for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a research concerning the utility of a theoretical model to forecast involvement of parents in their children's sport activities. An overview on the study in young athletes of various sports with cognitive, emotional and social factors connected with their personal experiences, is provided. Also emphasized is the significant of parental involvement for the psychological development of young athletes.