Search

A comprehensive examination of psyching-up strategies before maximal psychingforce production is imperative to examine the efficacy of psyching-up, identify beneficial strategies for practitioners, and direct future investigations. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the efficacy of self-psyching-up strategies on maximal force production. The systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines. A systematic search was conducted SPORTDiscus, PsychINFO, PsychARTICLES, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. Studies were included if they used an experipsychingmental design, sampled adults, the independent variable included a psyching-up strategy that matched the prepaworking definition, and measured maximal force production measure. Twenty-seven independent studies met the inclusion criteria for this psyreview. Collectively, 65% of the trials found that psyching-up facilitates maximal force production. Free-choice psyching-up, motivational self-talk, PETTLEP imagery, and prescribed preparatory arousal consistently enhanced performance. There was also evidence that disparity in the results may be because of the competitive experience of the participants and the type of control condition. The findings suggest that free-choice psyching-up, motivational self-talk, PETTLEP imagery, and prescribed preparatory arousal may enhance maximal force production. Future research should recruit experienced athletes to identify and test the efficacy of strategies used by applied practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity, along with its associated health issues, is closely tied to lifestyle habits. While certain elements affecting childhood health, such as genetics and ethnicity, are beyond individuals' control, there exists modifiable lifestyle behaviours that can facilitate healthier living. This study employed multiple regression analysis to investigate the relationship between specific modifiable lifestyle behaviours and self-reported health. The independent variables considered included days of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), fruit and vegetable consumption, breakfast frequency, school night sleep duration, and non-school night sleep duration. These variables were chosen for their practical modifiability within participants' daily lives. The analysis revealed a highly significant overall model (F(13,11363) = 191.117, p <.001), explaining 17.9% of the variance in self-reported health. Notably, higher MVPA levels were associated with improved self-reported health (B = 0.136 to 0.730, p <.001). Additionally, regular breakfast consumption and increased fruit and vegetable intake exhibited positive associations with self-reported health (B = 0.113 to 0.377, p <.001), while girls reported lower self-reported health (B = -0.079, p <.001). School night sleep duration was positively linked to self-reported health (B = 0.071, p <.001). Furthermore, a dose-response relationship between MVPA, dietary habits, and health was identified. These findings hold substantial potential for public health campaigns to promote healthy behaviours and prevent chronic diseases in young individuals. It is imperative to emphasise that all the variables considered in this study are readily modifiable aspects of individuals' lives, offering a promising avenue for personal health and well-being enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the current study was to explore evidence-informed decisions involved in designing psychological interventions for performance enhancement. Employing a constructivist grounded theory methodology, 10 experienced and 10 early career sport psychology practitioners participated in semi-structured interviews. All participants gained their qualified status through the British Psychological Society and were registered practitioner psychologists with the Health and Care Professions Council within the UK. Accordingly, results are reflective of the participants' training and practice experiences. Four key categories of decision-making processes were constructed: gathering information about the athlete, using research evidence, drawing on experience and tacit knowledge, and integration. Our findings demonstrated the interactions between research-based and practice-based knowledge when designing interventions that suit the needs of the athlete, work pragmatically within the applied context, and have the desired effect on the intervention goal. Our findings provide a better understanding of the interactions and processes used by sport psychology practitioners in applied practice. Such an understanding may inform the construction of evidence-informed interventions that lead to better performance outcomes. Lay Summary: This study explored the evidence-informed decision-making processes of 10 early career and 10 experienced, UK-based, sport psychology practitioners when designing interventions for athletes. Results highlighted the importance of integrating evidence from the athlete, research, and practice experiences to support evidence-informed decisions to enhance the performance of athletes. Our findings suggest that intervention design could be most effective when sport psychology practitioners integrate a range of evidence into their decision-making The evidence-informed decision-making model provides processes for practitioners to consider in practice, irrespective of their working environment and level of expertise Understanding evidence-informed decision-making processes could help to develop training opportunities to improve evidence-informed decision-making competence [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista CES Psicologia is the property of Universidad CES and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Physical inactivity within an ageing population is an ongoing public health concern for policymakers. Engagement in sport forms a foundation of policy designed to encourage physical activity participation and improve health and wellbeing. This study aimed to (i) understand the extent to which older adults participate in sport and the (ii) correlates that predict this involvement within an English population sample of older adults. A further aim was (iii) to examine the extent in which sports participation may vary due to the opportunity provided across Active Partnerships in England. To address this, a multi-level analysis framed through COM-B was conducted of the 2021 English Active Lives dataset (i.e., during the COVID-19 pandemic). The Active Lives survey provides population-level insight into sport, exercise, and physical activity participation across England. It samples upwards of n = 180,000 participants beyond the age of 16 years and asks questions on factors that influence participation. Our findings drawn from a sample of n = 68,808 older adults (i.e., >60-years of age) indicate that when accounting for variation across regions sports participation was significantly predicted by age (β = -.246, p =.040) and multiple deprivation (β =.706, p =.030). Further, our analysis suggests sports participation across regions is associated with changes in the perceptions of opportunity to participate (β = -28.70, p =.001). As the UK transitions from the COVID-19 pandemic, findings have implications for the promotion of sports participation for older adults, in that local, regional, and national stakeholders must do more to change perceptions of social and physical opportunity within an ageing population. This may be achieved through adaptations to the recreational sporting landscape, raising awareness, and supportive policy changes on a national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addressed whether lifetime stressor exposure was associated with psychophysiological reactivity and habituation to a novel laboratory-based stressor. Eighty-six participants (Mage = 23.31 years, SD = 4.94) reported their exposure to lifetime non-sport and sport-specific stressors before completing two consecutive trials of the Trier Social Stress Test, while cardiovascular (i.e., heart rate) and endocrine (i.e., salivary cortisol) data were recorded. Exposure to a moderate number of lifetime non-sport and sport-specific stressors was associated with adaptive cardiovascular reactivity, whereas very low or very high stressor exposure was related to maladaptive reactivity. Moreover, experiencing a very low number of lifetime non-sport (but not sport-specific) stressors was associated with poorer habituation. In contrast, lifetime stressor severity was unrelated to cardiovascular reactivity. Finally, greater lifetime non-sport and sport-specific stressor counts were associated with blunted cortisol reactivity and poorer habituation. These results suggest that lifetime stressor exposure may influence sport performers' acute stress responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pressure training (PT) strategically increases pressure in training to prepare athletes to perform under pressure. Although research has studied how to create pressure during training, PT's effectiveness may depend on more than creating pressure. A practitioner's delivery of sport psychology interventions can moderate their effectiveness, so the current study explored perspectives of sport psychologists and athletes on the characteristics of effective PT delivery in applied settings. Eight international-level athletes and eight sport psychologists participated in semistructured qualitative interviews in which they described their experience participating in or conducting PT, respectively. Thematic analysis produced four themes relating to effective delivery: (a) collaboration with athletes and coaches: "with," not "to"; (b) integration into training; (c) upfront transparency; and (d) promoting learning before and after PT. The themes provide guidance for planning, conducting, and following up on PT sessions in applied settings. The best practices discussed could increase athletes' receptiveness to PT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]