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Young girls often avoid being physically active due to physical and psychological symptoms of menstruation. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to explore youth athletes' experiences of menstruation in sport. Seven female athletes between 16 and 18 years old took part in semi-structured interviews. Interpretive Description methodology (Thorne, 2016) was used, and interview transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2022). Athletes experienced several physical and emotional symptoms throughout the menstrual cycle which were perceived to impact performance. Overall, athletes felt there was not enough support available for dealing with menstruation due to stigma and lack of education. This also influenced coach-athlete communication, along with other factors, such as coach gender, age, and coach-athlete relationship. Moving forward, young athletes would like more support in the form of education for athletes and coaches, and more representation and destigmatization of the topic of menstruation. Lay Summary: This study explored adolescent athletes' experiences of menstruation in sport. Following interviews with seven female athletes, we found that athletes faced a variety of challenges when dealing with their menstrual cycle in sport, but not enough support was provided due to stigma and a lack of education. Both coaches and athletes require more education on the menstrual cycle in order to provide better support and better deal with the challenges of menstruation Athletes should be educated about different pain management techniques and should have access to menstrual product options that are tailored to their particular sport Coaches need to create an open and safe environment where athletes feel comfortable discussing their menstrual cycle [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore growth following the experience of stressors and compare the experiences of elite athletes who exhibit higher and lower levels of growth. Six elite athletes (five female and one male) participated in a semi-structured interview. Three athletes reported experiencing higher levels, and three athletes reported experiencing lower levels of growth. Interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed that understanding of self, development in athletic identity, and social support are key psychological mechanisms, which differentiate elite athletes who reported experiencing higher and lower levels of growth. Athletes higher in reported growth showed greater association with meaningful behavioral actions, ultimately reflecting the modification of previously held beliefs into a new worldview. Athletes lower in reported growth reflected an attempt to maintain beliefs into an already existing worldview, thus hindering growth. The findings show psychological mechanisms that accumulatively promote growth and provide a foundation for subsequent intervention studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore female athletes' experiences of positive growth following deselection from provincial sport teams. Interviews were conducted with 18 women (Mage = 22.45 years, SD = 1.38) who were deselected from provincial soccer, ice hockey, and volleyball teams as adolescents. Interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology was used. The analysis was guided by Tedeschi and Calhoun's model of posttraumatic growth. Results showed that participants questioned their identity and ability as athletes following deselection. Growth was a gradual process that unfolded over several years, experienced through a greater appreciation of the role of sport in the participants' lives and sport becoming a priority, an enhanced sense of personal strength, developing closer social relationships, and a recognition of new and other opportunities. These findings show that cognitive processes and social relationships are critical components in the process of positive growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overall purpose of this study was to examine coaches' views on deselecting athletes from competitive female adolescent sport teams. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 22 head coaches of Canadian provincial level soccer, basketball, volleyball, and ice hockey teams. Interpretive description methodology (Thorne, 2008) was used. Results revealed deselection was a process that involved four phases: pre-tryout meeting, evaluation and decision-making, communication of deselection, and post deselection reflections. Within the evaluation and decision-making phase coaches made programmed and nonprogrammed decisions under conditions of certainty and uncertainty. When faced with uncertainty coaches relied on intuition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overall purpose of this study was to examine parents' perspectives on the benefits of sport participation for their young children. Specifically, this study addressed two research questions: (1) What benefits do parents perceive their children gain through participation in organized youth sport programs? (2) How do parents think their children acquire these benefits? Twenty-two parents (12 mothers, 10 fathers) of children aged 5-8 years participated in individual semistructured interviews. Data were subjected to qualitative analysis techniques based on the interpretive description methodology. Parents reported their children gained a range of personal, social, and physical benefits from participating in sport because it allowed them to explore their abilities and build positive self-perceptions. Parents indicated they believed children acquired benefits when coaches created a mastery-oriented motivational climate that facilitated exploration. Crucially, parents appeared to play the most important role in their children's acquisition of benefits by seizing "teachable moments" from sport and reinforcing certain principles in the home environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addressed the question: How and why has the good parenting ideal changed in relation to active free play (AFP) during middle childhood? Twenty-eight middle class and predominantly white adults (14 grandparent-parent dyads) completed individual semi-structured interviews. Data were subjected to a thematic analysis. Two themes (changing expectations for parental involvement in children's lives and increasing expectations to involve children in structured activities) depicted how the good parenting ideal has changed. A further two themes (news media influence on perceptions of safety and concerns about being judged on social media) explained some of the reasons why the good parenting ideal has changed. Perceived needs for parental involvement, supervision, and organized activities appear to contradict the notion of active free play. It may be useful to develop initiatives that are consistent with the good parenting ideal, and to examine parents' use of traditional and social media in future AFP research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overall purpose of this study was to create a model of positive youth development (PYD) through sport grounded in the extant qualitative literature. More specifically, the first objective was to review and evaluate qualitative studies of PYD in sport. The second objective was to analyze and synthesize findings from these studies. Following record identification and screening, 63 articles were retained for analysis. Meta-method analysis revealed strengths of studies were the use of multiple data collection and validity techniques, which produced high-quality data. Weaknesses were limited use of ‘named’ methodologies and inadequate reporting of sampling procedures. Philosophical perspectives were rarely reported, and theory was used sparingly. Results of an inductive meta-data analysis produced three categories: PYD climate (adult relationships, peer relationships, and parental involvement), life skills program focus (life skill building activities and transfer activities), and PYD outcomes (in personal, social, and physical domains). A model that distinguishes between implicit and explicit processes to PYD is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A spoon is an ordinary and easily recognizable thing. As a utensil for eating and feeding, a tool for cooking and serving, or perhaps a collection of memories, this article reflects on a spoons' place in our lives. The shape of a spoon and other significances are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]