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Athletic buoyancy is the ability to handle everyday challenges in sports, though little research has been conducted. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine intrapersonal and interpersonal factors related to athletic buoyancy, as well as a potential outcome variable. Collegiate club sport athletes (N = 239) completed a questionnaire assessing predictors (fear of failure, anxiety, sport enjoyment, enthusiastic commitment), an outcome variable (intentions to continue sport participation), a mediator (athletic buoyancy), and a moderator (social support) between the predictors and both athletic buoyancy and intentions. Results indicated that athletic buoyancy was not a mediator; however, anxiety and fear of failure were significant, negative predictors of athletic buoyancy. Social support moderated the enthusiastic commitment-intentions relationship, and the fear of failure-athletic buoyancy relationship, where athletes with higher social support reported a greater negative impact of fear of failure on athletic buoyancy. Findings may have implications for athlete well-being and adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to determine the effects of Syrian students under temporary protection in Turkey on social cohesion and personal development through their participation in sporting activities. The study, which was conducted with a descriptive phenomenological qualitative research design, included 36 Syrian students selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed thematically. As a result of the analysis, four main themes were identified: (a) support and participation in sport activities, (b) diversity of sport activities and motivation, (c) barriers to participation, and (d) the impact of sport activities on social cohesion and personal development. The findings suggest that sporting activities play an important role in migrant students’ social integration and self-confidence. However, misunderstandings and perceptions of discrimination caused by language barriers and cultural differences can negatively affect participation in sports activities. It is emphasized that culturally sensitive supports in school social work play a critical role in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nLay summaryThis article analyzes the vulnerable and precarious nature of applied sport psychology practice. Adopting a longitudinal approach over an 18-month period, data were collected through 41 semi-structured interviews with six applied sport psychologists working across soccer, swimming, and athletics. Interviews took place at 6–8 week intervals, and transcripts were iteratively analyzed with Kalleberg’s theorization of precarity and Kelchtermans’ writings around vulnerability adopted as the primary heuristic devices. Four themes were identified, highlighting how: (a) “precarious employment conditions”; (b) “constrained decision making”; (c) “challenges to demonstrating impact”; and (d) “contrasting beliefs of appropriate practice” typified practitioners’ applied experiences. Our findings and analysis advance discussions about the precarious nature of applied sport psychology work by recognizing some of the inherent structural vulnerabilities that characterize the role. Insights developed from this research have important implications for the profession, including the preparation, development, employment and ongoing support of its workforce.This study explores the challenges faced by sport psychology practitioners, highlighting the limited availability of paid, full-time opportunities, a lack of control over working conditions, and difficulties in demonstrating impact. The findings carry significant implications for the profession, particularly in terms of preparing, developing, employing, and providing ongoing support to applied practitioners. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICEIncreased awareness of the precarious and vulnerable nature of applied sport psychology work can lead to better preparedness of practitioners for the challenges they may face.Educating practitioners about navigating micro-political environments can enhance their effectiveness in working with athletes and teams.Understanding the importance of employment contracts can empower practitioners to negotiate more appropriate terms and improve their professional standing within the field.Increased awareness of the precarious and vulnerable nature of applied sport psychology work can lead to better preparedness of practitioners for the challenges they may face.Educating practitioners about navigating micro-political environments can enhance their effectiveness in working with athletes and teams.Understanding the importance of employment contracts can empower practitioners to negotiate more appropriate terms and improve their professional standing within the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated the effect of tactical breathing (breath-based stress management) on marksmanship performance in a randomized between-subjects design. The total of n = 100 participants (18% female) were all student soldiers and randomly assigned to the intervention group (tactical breathing) or the control group. In the German Armed Forces shooting simulator, participants shot ten rounds at ten meters with the P8 (Heckler and Koch). In addition, the effect of neuroticism, fear of failure, and resilience on shooting performance and the interaction of those traits with the experimental condition were examined. Overall, the total hit score showed a strong ceiling effect, so the more difficult initial hit was primarily used as a performance criterion. None of the personality traits significantly affected the initial hit, and there were no interactions between the experimental condition and the personality traits. However, there was a significant difference in initial hit between the control and experimental group, as the tactical breathing group shot an average of 1.9 points better, t(98) = 8.489, p <.001, d = 1.698. Considering the initial shot, which was more difficult due to the uncocked trigger, tactical breathing proved to be an effective method for increasing marksmanship performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to determine the push and pull motivations of sport climbers within the scope of outdoor and adventure tourism. The phenomenology approach, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was preferred in the study. The study group consisted of twenty-one (21) rock climbers who were determined by convenience and criterion sampling methods. The research was conducted in the Köklüce Canyon region in Gaziantep. As a result of the analysis, two main themes (push and pull motivation), twelve sub-themes and thirty codes were emerged. It was determined that the most important pushing motivations for choosing sport climbing were spiritual regeneration and then socialization. Having fun, being happy, meeting new people and socializing at the destination were important intrinsic motivation reasons of the climbers. The most important pulling motivations in choosing the climbing area were the results such as having many and different difficulty levels of the routes and the ease of transportation. As the routes in the climbing destination have a wide variety, quality and are in different difficulty; the easy access to the region and the proximity of the region are an important environmental motivation. As a result, it could be said these motivation sources for the rock-climbing destination provide opportunities for diversifying the adventure tourism products, providing a sustainable adventure tourism, and guiding the relevant federations and local governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars and practitioners have attended to and shown support for the promotion of a culturally sensitive approach within applied sport psychology. Yet, a cultural competence knowledge-behavior gap among sport psychology practitioners (SPPs) remains prevalent along with a lack of practical guidance on how SPPs can engage in a cultural praxis. In order to ensure that SPPs are helping all clients (e.g., athletes) thrive—not merely cope with forms of social identity oppression (e.g., racism) and other sources of harm that pervade sport—there is a need for empirical research that explores how current SPPs fully account for identity, privilege/power and oppression in their work. This qualitative study aimed to help close this gap by offering practical insights from SPPs that can serve as direction for other practitioners to strengthen their cultural praxis. This study adopted a cultural praxis agenda. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 current SSPs working in the United States who identified as making efforts to account for social identity, privilege/power and oppression in their practice. Reflexive thematic analysis of interviews with SPPs was carried out at the semantic level. Results highlight four key themes that reflect SPPs approach: (a) acknowledging the self, (b) learning about the client as a whole person in context, (c) shifting power to the client for collaboration, and (d) taking individual-level and/or organizational-level action. Findings provide guidance for how SPPs can engage in a cultural praxis that goes beyond cultural competence promotion in order to ensure that sport is an empowering context for all. Lay summary: This study explored how SPPs account for social identity, privilege/power and oppression in their practice. Four themes characterized their approach: acknowledging the self, learning about the client as a whole person in context, shifting power to the client for collaboration, and individual-level and organizational-level action to promote inclusion, belonging, and equity. Findings provide guidance for how SPPs can work to ensure that sport is an empowering context for all. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: SPPs accounted for social identity, privilege/power and oppression in their applied work by first building and exercising their awareness of themselves (and their positionality) along with their client as a whole person in context. Practitioners used this awareness to shift power to their client for collaboration by honoring their expertise and making individualized considerations. SPPs took individual-level and/or organizational level action to promote inclusion, belonging, and equity within the context of the client-practitioner relationship and broader sport environment. In order to ensure that sport is an empowering context for all, SPPs can consider what organizational-level actions they might take alongside individual-level actions in order to effect wholescale social justice change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burgess et al. (2016) emphasized the importance of parental support in youth sports as they provide financial, informational, and emotional support to the youth-athlete. Parents also play a "significant role in shaping youth sport experiences" (Sheridan et al., 2014, p. 198). Research around parental support has been conducted in sports such as tennis, gymnastics, and football. The aim of the present study was to examine the parents' perspective of parental support in female youth golf, exploring how they support their female youth golfers, and if the support changes through their child's development. Twenty-two semi structured interviews were conducted with parents (14 fathers, 10 mothers) of high-performance female golfers in the specializing or investment stages of Côté's (1999) DMSP. Participants were recruited from six countries (England, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada). Using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2012) six higher order themes were identified, namely, parental support: emotional, practical, technical, financial, organizational, and reflective support. The results align with the grounded theory of parental support (Burke et al., 2023a) providing an insight into the parents' perspective of providing support aligning with informational, emotional, and instrumental support of the theory. Furthermore, the current research presented novel findings regarding reflective support that parents provide. Findings highlighted that parental support changed depending on temporal differences (place in the golf season) and their daughter's development. The present research reinforces the need to provide support programs for parents based on their needs, rather than programs designed from a governing body or coaches perspective. Lay summary: Parents perspective of parental support and associated temporal changes were explored in female youth golf. Six themes of support were identified: emotional, practical, technical, financial, organizational, and reflective support. Changes in parental support were dependent on their daughter's development (level of maturity or level of play) and the time of year differences. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Sport psychologists can build upon the current findings when assisting the development of youth athletes, by involving the parent in managing emotions for their child-athlete but also providing some help for how parents may manage their own emotions to avoid having a negative impact on their youth athlete. Findings can be applied by practitioners, governing bodies, and sporting organizations to develop and implement suitable assistance for parents based on the needs of parents and to assist with the changes in support that occur when supporting their youth athlete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology recently celebrated its 20th Anniversary, showcasing significant growth in submissions and international diversity. The International Society of Sport Psychology is now introducing the Academy of Science to advance scholarly knowledge in the field. The Academy's inaugural focus on mental health reflects a broader interest in thriving through personal and social actions in sport and physical activity. This initiative aims to elevate the field's legitimacy and establish a high standard of scholarship, supported by a collaborative effort among scholars and practitioners globally. [Extracted from the article]

The elite sport movement for athletes with hearing impairments, namely Deaflympics, differs from the Paralympic and Olympic sport movements because it exhibits a variety of distinct sociocultural and organisational characteristics. Yet, mental training with Deaflympic athletes receives little to no attention from the scientific community. Little is known about sport psychology consultants' (SPCs) work with Deaflympic athletes. In this study, we explored SPCs' exposure to so called Deaf sport as well as their experiences, attitudes, and assumptions regarding the utility of psychological skills training (PST) with Deaflympic athletes. A self-constructed questionnaire with closed and semi-open questions was completed by 93 (58.8% female) SPCs in European German-speaking countries. Analyses revealed SPCs had limited exposure to Deaflympic sport but indicated readiness to work with Deaflympic athletes. SPCs shared no reasons as to why PST skills and techniques would not be effective with Deaflympic athletes. However, SPCs regarded communication challenges as a major obstacle. We conclude that the integration of elite Deaf sport in SPCs' training programmes is vital, considering SPCs' lack of exposure and experience with Deaflympic athletes as well as their communication insecurities. In addition, further empirical research on PST effectiveness in Deaflympics athletes should provide the foundation for evidence-based utility of applied sport psychology in Deaflympic sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are concerns that the field of sport and exercise psychology is limited by insufficient consideration for the demographic, socioeconomic and cultural identities and experiences of participants. This study specifically quantified gender balance among sport and exercise psychology samples for the very first time. Articles published within five leading journals in the field across three separate years (2010, 2015, 2020) were included. Across the 627 studies, data were collected from 258,160 participants. Of these, 138,133 were men/boys (54%), 119,398 were women/girls (46%), and 629 were non-binary or not reported (0.2%; 432 not reported, 197 identified as non-binary or another gender). We demonstrated that studies which focused on sport – rather than exercise – psychology, significantly under-represented women/girls. Specifically, the OR for sport as compared to exercise, was 4.94 (95% CI = 3.19–7.64, p <.001), suggesting a markedly increased likelihood of male participation. Nearly one in five studies in sport psychology included exclusively male participants, compared to just 7% with females. Studies conducted in Europe, as well as those exploring interventions and experimental research, were also associated with an over-representation of male participants. Important questions are raised as to the conduct of representative research in the field of applied sport psychology, with recommendations provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research indicates sport psychology practitioners vary in their abilities to help athletes. Understanding the characteristics of helpful practitioners can inform applied sport psychology training. We reviewed qualitative research on stakeholders' perceptions of the characteristics of practitioners. The electronic and manual search yielded 33 studies, with extracted data being subject to an abductive analysis. We also critically appraised the studies according to criteria listed by the Cochrane Collaboration. Results indicated that stakeholders perceived that helpful practitioners were able to (a) build rapport or interpersonal bonds with athletes, (b) develop real relationships based on openness and realistic perceptions, (c) inspire hope and suitable expectations, (d) promote engagement in the change process, and (e) operate well in the contexts where clients are located. The critical appraisal indicated that the studies provide an informed representation of stakeholders' perceptions, but also where research may improve, such as considering the researcher-participant relationship. The review points to avenues of future research, such as experiments testing if the characteristics stakeholders believe describe helpful practitioners lead to better client outcomes. The current findings can also inform the training, supervision, and continued professional development of trainees and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has recently been a surge in sport psychology research examining various aspects of the interpersonal and social processes related to emotions and emotion regulation. The purpose of this study was to review the literature related to the interpersonal experience, expression, and regulation of emotions in sport, in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the studies that have been conducted to date. A scoping review of the literature (Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. [2009]. A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91–108) using a systematic search process returned 7,769 entries that were screened for inclusion; the final sample of studies included in the review consisted of 79 relevant articles and 8 dissertations. The results describe the interconnected findings on athletes' self-regulation of emotions in social contexts, interpersonal emotion regulation, collective emotions (group-based emotions, emotional contagion, and effervescence), emotional expressions, and individual and contextual moderators (e.g. personality, culture, norms, gender, roles, and situational/temporal aspects). We identify key issues to advance theory and research, including: the need for programmatic research to investigate these processes, their effects, and underlying mechanisms; greater theoretical and conceptual clarity; more research among diverse populations (e.g. female athletes, youth athletes); the need to consider interconnected emotional phenomena in future research; and the need for applied intervention research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport and Exercise Psychology (SEP) often adopts physiological markers in theory and practice, and one measure receiving increasing attention is heart rate variability (HRV). This paper aimed to provide a scoping review of the use of HRV within SEP. The protocol was made available on the Open Science Framework. Study inclusion criteria were examination of HRV in SEP, using athletes or healthy populations, peer-reviewed and published in English. Exclusion criteria were non-peer reviewed work, animal studies, clinical populations, review or conference papers. In February 2022 a systematic search of Web of Science, PubMed and Sport Discus identified 118 studies (4979 participants) using HRV in sport psychology (71) or exercise psychology (47). Risk of bias was assessed via the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A narrative synthesis revealed that HRV was assessed within a range of topics such as stress, overtraining, anxiety, biofeedback, cognitive performance, and sporting performance. Three key limitations within the field were discovered: limited application of theoretical frameworks, methodological issues with HRV measurement, and differing interpretations of HRV results. Future research should use vagally-mediated HRV as a marker of self-regulation and adaptation in SEP, consult relevant HRV theories prior to hypothesis development, and follow methodological guidelines for HRV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nLay summarySport environments have the potential to be advantageous to one’s development and well-being; however, they are also plagued with the normalization of excessive pressures and extreme expectations that can enhance athletes’ susceptibility to experiencing harm, especially psychological maltreatment. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore athletes’ experiences of conforming to the sport ethic and experiences of psychological maltreatment in sport. Semi-structured interviews were completed with thirteen retired, competitive, women athletes. Each interview was transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Findings demonstrate that the sport ethic influences the vulnerability of athletes to experiencing psychological maltreatment and athletes’ experiences of psychological maltreatment influence their conformity to the sport ethic. The desire to please is identified as central to this nexus between conformity and experiences of psychological maltreatment. The paper concludes with applied recommendations for sport psychology practitioners.The cycle of psychological maltreatment and conformity to the sport ethic demonstrates the interrelatedness between both constructs and suggests they should not be viewed as mutually exclusive. This recursive conceptualization can help guide sport psychology practitioners in their efforts to safeguard athlete welfare. Implications for PracticePositive encouragement of athletes’ steadfast dedication and commitment to achieving performance in sport can enhance athletes’ vulnerability to psychological maltreatment.Sport psychology practitioners should be cognizant of the risk of people-pleasing tendencies making athletes susceptible to and in need of safeguarding against psychological maltreatment and engagement in extreme behaviors associated with conformity to the sport ethic.Sport psychology practitioners can play a critical role in providing education and strategies for coaches, parents, athletes, and sport leaders to support athletic performance in a way that also safeguards athlete welfare.Positive encouragement of athletes’ steadfast dedication and commitment to achieving performance in sport can enhance athletes’ vulnerability to psychological maltreatment.Sport psychology practitioners should be cognizant of the risk of people-pleasing tendencies making athletes susceptible to and in need of safeguarding against psychological maltreatment and engagement in extreme behaviors associated with conformity to the sport ethic.Sport psychology practitioners can play a critical role in providing education and strategies for coaches, parents, athletes, and sport leaders to support athletic performance in a way that also safeguards athlete welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, we introduce an ecological view of career transitions. We consider an athlete's development as a journey through various athletic and non-athletic environments that support their striving for career excellence. On this journey, an athlete experiences a multitude of environments and transitions from one environment (e.g., one club, one country or one sport) to another. To develop this understanding, we introduce the concept of a transition environment defined as a dynamic and temporary system that bridges the setting that an athlete is transitioning from and to. We also suggest two working models that in unison can work as a roadmap for transition environment research and practice. The transition environment (TE) model helps to describe the TE and the transition environment success factor (TE-SF) model helps to understand why certain TEs are more successful than others supporting athletes in transition. The models can be used by researchers studying specific transition environments to understand how such environments facilitate or hinder transitions, and by practitioners (coaches, managers, sport psychologists) to support athletes' transitions by improving their TEs. We hope the idea of an ecology of athlete transitions will find its way into empirical studies of different types of transitions (e.g., to another sport, to another level in sport, to another club or to another country) in multiple cultural contexts and contribute to the development of career-long psychological support services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to screen for mental and behavioral health risk of Division II collegiate student athletes using a novel online screening tool (i.e., Heads Up Checkup) via the Sharpen mobile platform and learn the practicality of using such a tool. Collegiate student athletes (n = 367) were recruited to complete the Heads Up Checkup mental and behavioral health screening through the Sharpen mobile application. A total of 338 out of 367 possible collegiate student athletes completed the screening for a participation rate of 92.09%. Participants self-reported mental and behavioral health symptoms, including risk and criteria for 26 ICD-10 disorders. Across the sample, 17.1% of participants (n = 63) met at least 50% of the criteria for at least one diagnosis, 18.8% of participants (n = 69) met 70–99% of diagnostic criteria for at least one diagnosis, and 15.5% of participants (n = 57) met 100% of diagnostic criteria for at least one ICD-10 diagnosis. Although the Heads Up Checkup cannot diagnose disorders, it can be a valuable screening tool to assist coaches, trainers, clinicians, and athletic staff to collaboratively care for collegiate student athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SARS-COV-2/COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the athletic experiences of athletes worldwide. One in five infections has resulted in Long Covid (LC) conditions, however, the impact of LC on athletes is unclear. Recently several high-profile athletes have spoken publicly about their LC diagnoses, with some temporarily delayed in their return to athletics, while others were forced to retire due to LC. LC is particularly challenging to manage for athletic populations due to the unique influence of Post Exertional Malaise (PEM), a worsening of symptoms post physical exertion. Sport Psychology Professionals (SPPs) may encounter athletes with LC and need to be informed about LC and the influence it may have on athletic participation. The purpose of this article is to provide SPPs with clear guidance for supporting athletes with LC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural competence and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have become fundamental learning objectives in sport psychology training, yet the literature lacks theory-informed strategies that support relevant teaching and mentoring efforts. Using two evidence-based instructional strategies—cooperative learning and scaffolding, we present how to apply strengths-based and cultural humility frameworks and activities to promote cultural competence through teaching or group mentorship. We also discuss how to modify these activities based on the modality, group size, and time available. Additionally, we share student feedback and our reflections on the successes, lessons learned, and recommendations for enhancing students' cultural competence and DEI training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice of sport psychology has been significantly influenced by the cognitive-behavioral approach. In particular, psychological skills training (PST) is an often-researched set of cognitive-behavioral techniques applied to sports. Recent sport psychology literature has explored how cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies (CBTs) can benefit sports. Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) has emerged as an important CBT with clear theoretical and practical implications for sports. Little has been written about the confluence of PST and REBT. The current paper proposes and details the confluence of PST and REBT drawing on core REBT theory but with an eye firmly on applied sport psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Populism in Sport, Leisure, and Popular Culture" is a book that explores the presence of populism in various aspects of society, including sports, leisure activities, and popular culture. The book is divided into three parts and covers a range of topics, including the history of leisure and sport, the relationship between populism and sports organizations, the use of media and television in promoting populistic figures, and the connection between populism and music festivals. The book also examines specific national contexts and settings, such as Greece, Italy, Brazil, and Latin America, and analyzes the role of sport in the populist discourse of former US President Donald Trump. Overall, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of the manifestations of populism in sport and leisure activities, offering international examples and insights into the impact of populism on society. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract\nLay summary\nIMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICEExploring meaningful work in sport holds potential for organizational sport psychologists and could be particularly appealing because research in other fields demonstrates its benefits for well-being, productivity, and organizational commitment. Although the concept of meaningful work in sport is not completely new, its emergence can be facilitated by consulting disciplines with longer histories of meaning-focused scholarship for structure and guidance. Therefore, the aim of this article is to critically review the advances in study of meaningful work to identify key lessons learned that can inform research with high-performance athletes and sport organizations. Using a narrative review approach, we explored the key debates in meaningful work literature and present them in a form of four tensional knots: (1) beyond “the self” and subjectivity, (2) time and context, (3) the management of meaning, and (4) the dark side of meaningful work. Each tension is discussed with implications for sport psychology scholarship and organizational sport psychology. We conclude with a brief reflection on how the lessons extracted are embedded in current topical issues in sport organizational life and how the study of meaningful work can extend already prominent strands of organizational sport psychology research.In this review, we explore the potential applications of the concept of meaningful work in organizational sport psychology. By identifying key tensions in meaningful work literature and their relevance to sport organizations, we provide directions for future research and recommendations for how sport psychologists can address meaningful work in their applied practice.Job design and task clarity can support meaningful workReflective practice is a good starting point for sport psychologists to start exploring the tensions of meaningful work addressed in this paperAttempts to intervene with what is considered meaningful can be conceived as unwarranted manipulation and lead to skepticismJob design and task clarity can support meaningful workReflective practice is a good starting point for sport psychologists to start exploring the tensions of meaningful work addressed in this paperAttempts to intervene with what is considered meaningful can be conceived as unwarranted manipulation and lead to skepticism [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nLay summary\nIMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICENeed-supportive coaching has been identified as the most effective way to nurture optimal motivational climates in sport because of its positive influence on athletes’ basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. However, to date, researchers in sport have not adequately considered whether athletes’ physical, cognitive, social, self, and emotional development prompts any variation in coaches’ delivery of need-supportive behavior. Such insight may reveal a more nuanced approach for coaches to facilitate athletes’ psychological functioning in an age-appropriate way. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore athletes’ and coaches’ perceptions of how coaches consider athlete development in the ways in which they seek to fulfill athletes’ basic psychological needs. Figure skating is an ideal sport context for this investigation as coach-athlete relationships typically span many years and developmental milestones. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 coach-athlete dyads (26 interviews) across four age groups: middle childhood (6–10 years), early adolescence (11–14 years), mid-adolescence (15–17 years), and early adulthood (18–25 years). Using reflexive thematic analysis, seven themes were constructed: (a) sport context as a lens for the optimal skill development of athletes, (b) socio-chronological development and relatedness-associated behavior, (c) physical development and relatedness- and competence-associated behavior, (d) skill and ability development and competence-associated behavior, (e) understanding of the sport and autonomy-associated behavior, (f) emotional development and relatedness-behavior, and (g) relational qualities further shape coaches’ need-supportive behaviors.This study explored the ways coaches change how they attempt to meet the psychological needs of athletes at different ages. Findings indicate that figure skating coaches adjusted how they interacted with skaters based on athletes’ physical, emotional, socio-chronological, and skill and ability development as well as understanding of the sport.It is essential for sport psychology professionals and coach educators to help coaches be more attuned to how need-supportive approaches might be adapted and implemented as to accommodate the changes youth athletes experience throughout their development.Athletes—especially those who participate in an early specialization sport—benefit when their coaches attend to youths’ psychological and developmental needs within the demands of their sport context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigators undertaking goal-setting research in sport have often focused on the effects of goal content, while those writing professional practice literature have suggested how practitioners could set goals with clients. Few empirical investigations have concentrated on understanding how and why sport psychology practitioners (SPPs) use goal setting or the active ingredients contributing to intervention effectiveness. By adopting a 2-stage, multiple methods approach, we aimed to identify how and why SPPs used goal setting and what contributed to their successful and unsuccessful experiences of setting goals. In Stage 1, 84 accredited/certified SPPs and 16 SPPs in training on an accreditation/certification pathway completed an online survey to identify how and why they set goals. In Stage 2, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 participants that explored their experiences of goal setting and elaborated on findings generated in Stage 1. Our findings illustrate that goal setting is a dynamic process, and we identified several common steps across participants. Goal setting was used to enhance psychological and performance outcomes, but the process was influenced by client, contextual, and practitioner factors. Aspects perceived to influence the effectiveness of goal setting included: the attitude of the client toward goal setting; setting appropriate goals; and reflecting, tracking, and monitoring progress. When implementing goal setting in practice, our findings suggest that SPPs can expect steps of the intervention to differ between clients. Furthermore, practitioners might consider the commitment of the client to the process and following up after the intervention as factors that could contribute to successful outcomes. Lay summary: Sport psychology practitioners (SPPs) reported taking different steps to educate and evaluate their clients before they set goals. After setting goals, SPPs prepared clients to work toward them and followed up on their progress. A client's attitude toward goal setting, setting appropriate goals, and monitoring progress were reported to contribute to successful goal-setting interventions. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Goal setting is a dynamic process, dependent on the client, context, and practitioner. Setting the right type of goals with the client and following-up on their progress are important parts of the goal-setting process. Sport psychology practitioners should collaborate with clients through the goal-setting process, but also provide clients autonomy to select their own goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging research supports that some former collegiate athletes (FCAs) can become physically inactive after retiring from sport, which can exacerbate unfavorable changes in long-term health. While researchers have addressed transitional difficulties FCAs may experience after retiring, little empirical evidence exists on how to promote healthy post-sport physical activity (PA) levels for those who are insufficiently active. Because of FCAs' past sports training, considering their opinions for effective PA program components may be beneficial in early stages of behavioral intervention development. As such, 17 insufficiently active former National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletes engaged in semi-structured interviews exploring their post-sport PA experiences and perceptions of effective program characteristics. Using Consensual Qualitative Research procedures, five domains were constructed. Three domains were discussed in a previous article; this paper overviews the remaining two, which describe participants' opinions of what would effectively promote PA in their population: (a) a desire for an 'athletics-lite' atmosphere in an FCA-targeted intervention, and (b) using technology to positively engage former athletes in their PA transition. While participants believed an athletics-based program where they are provided feedback and individualized workouts would be effective in maintaining PA, this may indicate underdeveloped autonomy in some FCAs regarding PA maintenance post-sport. Initially utilizing college sports personnel in a program may aid FCAs at risk of inactivity in transferring skills used in sport to independent PA maintenance after retiring. Further, the introduction and use of technology may help facilitate self-monitoring of progress, social support, and individualization when external resources are unavailable. Lay summary: Seventeen, inactive former college athletes (FCAs) were interviewed to understand enablers for promoting physical activity (PA) in their population. Utilizing sport/exercise personnel to help FCAs become more autonomous in their behavior and promoting self-monitoring through technology may help those in this population who struggle to maintain PA post-sport. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: On-campus programs should consider involving athletics personnel (e.g., coaches, athletic trainers, certified mental performance consultants) and, pending available resources, outside experts (e.g., exercise physiologists) to deliver techniques, strategies, and education to explicitly support retiring student-athletes in maintaining PA after retirement. The perceived need for an athletics atmosphere, such as a coach-figure and teammates to be competitive with, may indicate underdeveloped autonomy for maintaining PA in insufficiently active FCAs. While athletics personnel may be useful in early promotion of PA, programs should strive to help them build more self-determined forms of motivation and be self-sufficient in maintaining PA post-sport. Programs may consider promoting the maintenance of PA to students-athletes via the use of wearable devices, PA applications, and online resources to promote self-monitoring of behavior, facilitate social support, and provide education on healthy PA practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, research on teamwork in sport has largely focused on defining the construct and examining its relationships to emergent states and outcomes. By comparison, little is known about the antecedents (e.g., leadership) that promote teamwork behaviors in team sports. The purpose of this study was to explore what specifically sport coaches can do to develop teamwork within their teams. Using a critical realist approach, we conducted 15 semi-structured interviews with participants who competed in interdependent team sports (n = 8 athletes, n = 7 coaches). The data were thematically analyzed whereby three higher-order themes (comprising nine subthemes) were generated. The themes included (1) Crafting a teamwork recipe, (2) Come together, stay together, and (3) Maximizing teamwork in action. Specifically, coaches can facilitate teamwork by: (re)structuring selection practices, carefully considering team compositions, and encouraging role commitment (Theme 1); emphasizing coach-athlete relationships, promoting meaningful connections between teammates, and managing perceptions of favoritism (Theme 2); and crafting team-focused tactics, promoting athlete-led teamwork, and managing healthy internal competition (Theme 3). In summary, coaches appear to play an important role in facilitating teamwork. Specifically, coaches could consider looking beyond individual talent and skill during the team selection process, promoting strong bonds with their players and amongst teammates, and focusing on team-first training and execution tactics. Recommendations for future research and additional implications for those working in the applied field (e.g., coaches, sport psychologists) are also discussed. Lay summary: This study explored how team sport coaches might facilitate teamwork within their teams. Based on interviews with eight coaches and seven athletes, we identified how coaches utilize the following factors to promote teamwork: team selection, roles, coach-athlete relationships, athlete-to-athlete support, favoritism, tactical systems, athlete leadership, and internal competition. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Coaches can facilitate teamwork when selecting teams and assigning roles by looking beyond individual skill and talent and, instead, focusing on the ideal combinations of players that maximize teamwork. As part of this, coaches can promote a training and competition environment that focuses on collective performance over any one individual performance. Creating time and opportunities for the development of coach-athlete and athlete-athlete relationships is an important component of teamwork promotion. Coaches could empower athletes with opportunities to lead their team's preparations and reflections (e.g., goal setting, performance evaluations), and encouraging training environments that are competitive without becoming toxic or hostile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In competitive sport environments, coaches and sport psychology practitioners work to optimize individual and team performance. One strategy identified as a key to optimal sport performance is athlete self-awareness. This study evaluated the efficacy of a novel, online post-event reflection (PER) tool. Using a mixed methods design, 22 members of a competitive women's ice hockey team completed the PER across one season. The PER demonstrated efficacy through tailored insight used as a basis for athlete discussions, complementing other performance-related feedback. Follow-up interviews with three team members and the head coach provided additional support for the efficacy of the PER. Lay summary: In competitive sport environments, coaches and sport psychology practitioners work to optimize individual and team performance. This study provides evidence to support the use a novel, online post-event reflection tool by athletes, coaches, and sport psychology practitioners to enhance athlete self-awareness of mental skills and performance. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: When striving to optimize performance, coaches and sport psychology practitioners should consider strategies to enhance athlete self-awareness The post event reflection (PER) tool is an effective online tool for athletes, coaches, and sport psychology practitioners to enhance athlete self-awareness of mental skills and performance The PER is also a valuable diagnostic tool for coaches and sport psychology practitioners to identify individual athlete and team patterns in mental skills and performance [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Research has identified a range of intrapersonal variables associated with moral behaviors in sport. However, research investigating how perfectionism and burnout are associated with prosocial and antisocial behavior toward teammates and opponents in sport has received scant attention. In the present study, we address this issue by examining whether perfectionism is associated with prosocial and antisocial behavior in sport directly and indirectly via burnout and moral disengagement. Method: A total of 312 team sport players completed validated measures for each variable. Results: Path analyses revealed that perfectionistic concerns had a negative relationship with prosocial behavior toward teammates and an indirect positive association with antisocial behavior toward both teammates and opponents via being positively associated with burnout, which in turn, was positively associated with moral disengagement. In contrast, perfectionistic strivings had a positive association with prosocial behavior toward teammates, and an indirect positive association with antisocial behavior toward teammates and opponents via moral disengagement. Conclusion: Our findings offer new insights into how perfectionism and burnout are associated with prosocial and antisocial behavior in sport, as well as highlight the need to consider perfectionistic tendencies and approaches to help reduce burnout and moral disengagement in the regulation of antisocial behavior in sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research question: The number of adults participating in physical activity and sport is in decline; nine of the top 15 daily sports experienced a decrease in participation in recent years. For sport organizations that provide participation programming, retaining members is critical to their success and longevity. The purpose of this research is to empirically determine factors that explain member retention in a masters-level sport. Research method: A relationship marketing-based model was developed and tested using survey data from over 6000 current and former members of United States Masters Swimming. Results and findings: Enjoyment and fitness, community, and competition are motivational factors that support membership continuation. Membership renewal is also influenced by identification with the organization, improved fitness and ability, and positive perceptions of service quality and coaching. Implications: Leaders of non-profit sport organizations can apply the findings to increase member retention and fulfill the mission of providing health benefits to adults. Organizations can improve sport experiences through community-building and challenge; creating positive interactions with the coach and service organization can contribute to retention. This research contributes to theory-building regarding relationship marketing in member-based sport organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Social Motivational Orientations in Sport Scale (SMOSS), developed by Allen [(2003). Social motivation in youth sport. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 25(4), 551–567; (2005). Measuring social motivational orientations in sport: An examination of the construct validity of the SMOSS. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 3(2), 147–161], to measure social goals in sport, has only been tested among late adolescent and adult samples and in either the physical education or sport setting. The purpose of this study was to extend the utility of the SMOSS scale by examining social goals in a sample of underrepresented early adolescents, and for physical activity more broadly. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated the SMOSS was effective for measuring/identifying distinct social goal orientations for physical activity in this sample of youth and replicated Allen's [(2005). Measuring social motivational orientations in sport: An examination of the construct validity of the SMOSS. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 3(2), 147–161] three-factor model: affiliation, recognition, and status. The three-factor model demonstrated adequate concurrent and predictive validity. Findings suggest that affiliation goals for physical activity are inversely related to early adolescents' peer and emotional problems, but recognition and status goals have mixed effects on youth appearance-related motivations to engage in physical activity, peer problems, emotional problems, and prosocial behaviour. This study provides evidence that the SMOSS adequately measures social goals among a sample of underrepresented early adolescents and across physical activity contexts. Findings demonstrate that social goals for physical activity during early adolescence are similar to those observed in late adolescence and adulthood. Future social goal research should involve translating results into tangible aspects of intervention development to help promote physical activity and other positive outcomes in youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research was to explore 14 elite refugee athletes' experiences of transitioning to the Canadian sports system and to examine the social contexts that enabled and constrained meaning, a psychological mechanism that facilitates adaptive cultural transitions. Framed within critical realism, arts-based conversational interviews were undertaken with the elite refugee athletes. Through a reflexive thematic analysis and Viktor Frankl's theory of meaning, four themes (feelings of hope and empowerment, environmental challenges and adaptations, despair, and social support) were created to trace the fluctuations of meaning throughout the refugee athletes' transitions into their new sports systems. The results are presented through a single polyphonic vignette to highlight and contrast the how interacting contextual factors of time within a new sport system, support, and structure of the receiving sport system, enabled athletes to find meaning within their experiences. The manuscript provides an initial immersion into elite refugee athletes' experiences which may be used by sports psychology practitioners (SPPs) to inform meaning-based interventions that encourages such athletes to connect with values present in their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nLay summary\nIMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICEThe overall purpose of this study was to describe the development of a personal development intervention for high-performance sport. More specifically, the primary objective of the study was to present the results of the co-design phases of the intervention development process. The academic research team initiated the process of intervention development, informed by a grounded theory and using a logic model and the Template for Intervention Description and Replication checklist for Population Health and Policy (TIDieR-PHP). During the co-design phases of intervention development, 28 participants (15 athletes, 8 coaches, 5 technical leaders) were engaged via focus groups or individual interviews. We used qualitative description methodology and analyzed data using an abductive content analysis procedure. Participant engagement helped inform the development of the intervention logo, activity bank, delivery format, scheduling, and individualized approach. By the end of the development phase, the intervention comprised five personal development strategies: self-awareness, goal setting, reflecting, perspective-taking, and evaluating.This paper describes the development of a personal development intervention for high-performance sport. It specifically focuses on presenting the results of the co-design phases of the intervention development process.Working collaboratively with end-users and stakeholders can help researchers to develop sport psychology interventions.Taking a sport-specific approach to design interventions can help researchers develop interventions that are tailored to end-users’ needs, age, and stage of development within a particular sport.Working collaboratively with end-users and stakeholders can help researchers to develop sport psychology interventions.Taking a sport-specific approach to design interventions can help researchers develop interventions that are tailored to end-users’ needs, age, and stage of development within a particular sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We tested if distinct combinations of harmonious passion and obsessive passion for sport were associated with outcomes within sport, academics, and in one's life. We analysed data from the Student-athlete Well-being and Achievement Project (SWAP), a study in which intercollegiate student-athletes (N = 298) completed assessments of harmonious and obsessive passion at the start of a season, and assessments of performance, experiences, and satisfaction in sport, academics, and in life at the end of a season. Results showed that high harmonious passion combined with low obsessive passion (i.e., pure harmonious passion) was most often associated with the most adaptive outcomes, whereas high obsessive passion combined with low harmonious passion (i.e., pure obsessive passion) was associated with the least adaptive outcomes. These results build on previous research with recreational athletes [Schellenberg, B. J. I., Verner-Filion, J., Gaudreau, P., & Mbabaali, S. 2021. The two dimensions of passion for sport: A new look using a quadripartite approach. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 43(6), 459–476. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.2021-0048] by showing the benefits of pursuing competitive sport with high harmonious passion, especially pure harmonious passion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented study evaluates the evidence base underpinning the use of the Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment approach (MAC) in applied sport psychology. To assess the effectiveness of the MAC protocol on improving mindfulness and psychological flexibility, and on enhancing sport performance and well-being among athletes, we used Robust Bayesian Meta-Analysis with Publication Selection Model-Averaging (RoBMAPSMA). In total, there were eleven controlled trials included in the meta-analysis. Results of the RoBMAPSMA show: a moderate model-averaged effect size estimate for developing mindfulness with strong evidence (g = 0.64, 95% CI 0.00–0.91, BFes = 25.35); a small model-averaged effect size estimate for experiential acceptance with anecdotal evidence (g = 0.36, 95% CI 0.00–0.92, BFes = 2.32); and a small model-averaged effect size estimate for improving sport performance with moderate evidence (g = 0.37, 95% CI 0.00–0.79, BFes = 3.27). Only one study assessed the effectiveness of the MAC protocol on well-being and averaged effect sizes ranged from 0.01 to 0.82. Based on the results of the meta-analysis, the Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment protocol can be effective in improving mindfulness. In addition, results suggest that the MAC protocol might be effective in improving sport performance. Currently available trials, however, do not provide sufficient evidence supporting the MAC protocol's effectiveness in developing psychological flexibility, experiential acceptance, and promoting well-being among athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-talk is a well-researched component of self-efficacy that is frequently used as a motivational tool in sports. This study investigated how self-talk, as a component of entrepreneurship self-efficacy, relates to entrepreneurial motivation orientation. An online survey measured the self-talk valence of twenty-four entrepreneurs. Subsequently, interviews were conducted with the same entrepreneurs to collect narratives of their entrepreneurship start-up. The interview data were thematically coded and analysed. Links between the entrepreneurship motivation and the entrepreneurs' net self-talk valence scores were plotted. The analysis suggests that those with positive self-talk typically had intrinsic motivation orientations, while those with negative scores had shared extrinsic motivational orientations. Contrary to the association of positive self-talk with motivation in sports, counterintuitively, negative self-talk's link with motivation presents a novel finding. This finding is explained using the 'push' and 'pull' theories of entrepreneurial motivation. The study recommends deductive testing for this inductively explored relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nLay summaryTo develop positive coach-athlete relationships, coaches can acknowledge and support their players’ sociocultural backgrounds (e.g., ethnicities, genders, races). This is particularly important in connecting with marginalized athletes as the history of sport is intertwined with identity politics, racism, and exclusion. To date, little is known about the role of race in coach-athlete relationships from the perspectives of marginalized individuals. The purpose of the current study was to explore the coach-athlete relationships of Black, Canadian university football players and their coaches from the players’ perspectives. We conducted semi-structured interviews with nine Black football players from five Canadian universities coached by individuals of different racial backgrounds. Using a reflexive thematic analysis, we co-created two overarching themes addressing participants’ racialized experiences inside and outside of sport, including their understanding of Blackness, as well as perceptions on how to improve coaches’ cultural literacies. From our findings, we understood that most Black athletes developed strong connections with their Black coaches compared to White or non-Black coaches of color that were characterized by feelings of trust and the ability to express their cultural identity freely. Athletes highlighted the importance of coaches acquiring or strengthening their cultural competency, and provided examples, advice, and descriptions of what they believed constituted an effective coach. By exploring racial aspects of coach-athlete relationships, this study contributes to coaching science literature and cultural sport psychology by emphasizing the need for coaches to develop cultural competency aptitudes when working with diverse athletes.This article examines the importance of cultural awareness when building coach-athlete relationships from the perspective of Black football players in Canadian universities. We discussed the participants’ racialized experiences in sport contexts, the role of race in building coach-athlete relationships, and the importance of improving the cultural literacy of coaches.IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICECoaches looking to improve their approaches to building relationships with and meeting the cultural needs of Black athletes should consider engaging in cultural competency education to enhance their knowledge and coaching behaviors.Sport organizations and governing bodies should create more opportunities for coaches and other sport personnel to engage in formal cultural competency education to build knowledge about the intersectionally diverse athletes they work with.Sport scholars should actively seek to expand upon the literature regarding the ways in which race affects the coach-athlete relationship to offer modes of support for athletes who identify as Black.Coaches looking to improve their approaches to building relationships with and meeting the cultural needs of Black athletes should consider engaging in cultural competency education to enhance their knowledge and coaching behaviors.Sport organizations and governing bodies should create more opportunities for coaches and other sport personnel to engage in formal cultural competency education to build knowledge about the intersectionally diverse athletes they work with.Sport scholars should actively seek to expand upon the literature regarding the ways in which race affects the coach-athlete relationship to offer modes of support for athletes who identify as Black. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nLay Summary\nIMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICEThe current study follows up on the first-time implementation of the GrowTMindS Intervention described in Part I, with an overall aim of improving sports coaches’ beliefs in their talent as a coach (coach talent mindset, C-TM) and their athletes’ talent (athlete talent mindset, A-TM) as being malleable. By drawing on the user-centered design approach, we first refined the intervention using the insight provided by the coaches in Part I. A mixed-method approach then evaluated the second-time implementation, which included 33 participants (Mage = 38.76, SD = 16.55; 13 women, 20 men) in the quantitative strand and 11 informants (Mage = 39.09, SD = 14.10; 5 women, 6 men) in the sequential qualitative strand. The coaches represented the sports of swimming, bandy, ski sports, golf, and orienteering. The quantitative results indicate that the intervention targeted the coaches’ talent mindsets as their growth C-TM and A-TM scores increased from pre-test to post-test a year and a half after the intervention. The qualitative findings substantiate these results, showing how an increase at scale also appears meaningful concerning their belief in their own and their athletes’ developments. The findings also helped us to understand how the embracing, or possibly refuting, of intervention delivery may substantiate different trajectories of change, and thereby provided insight into the difficulty of targeting and the complexity of psychological processes and behavioral change. By considering the changes in coaches’ growth C-TM and A-TM, we assume that the GrowTMindS Intervention is ready for testing in a Phase III efficacy trial.The current study first refined the GrowTMindS Intervention to improve sports coaches’ mindsets about their talent as coaches and their athletes’ talent as being malleable and something that can grow. Then, using a mixed-method approach, the evaluation of this second-time implementation revealed a statistically significant and meaningful change in their mindsets through participation in a field study.The GrowTMindS Intervention 2.0 can influence adult sports coaches’ growth mindsets regarding their talent as coaches and their athletes’ talents.Implementing the GrowTMindS Intervention 2.0 in coach education programs can contribute to changing coach behavior for the sake of athlete development and avoiding potential adverse athlete outcomes related to early talent identification and early specialized training.The findings underscore the need to recognize coaches’ backgrounds and pre-understanding to tailor growth talent mindset messages for clarity and impact, motivating participants to adopt new behaviors. They also emphasize the crucial role of engaging and committing coaches to new behaviors through assignments and fostering supportive environments to reinforce the communicated growth talent mindsets messages.The GrowTMindS Intervention 2.0 can influence adult sports coaches’ growth mindsets regarding their talent as coaches and their athletes’ talents.Implementing the GrowTMindS Intervention 2.0 in coach education programs can contribute to changing coach behavior for the sake of athlete development and avoiding potential adverse athlete outcomes related to early talent identification and early specialized training.The findings underscore the need to recognize coaches’ backgrounds and pre-understanding to tailor growth talent mindset messages for clarity and impact, motivating participants to adopt new behaviors. They also emphasize the crucial role of engaging and committing coaches to new behaviors through assignments and fostering supportive environments to reinforce the communicated growth talent mindsets messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The think-aloud method is an established technique for studying human thought (cognitive) processes. Problem-solving and decision-making are essential skills for medical professionals, and the cognitive processes underlying these skills are complex. Studying these thought processes would enable educators, clinicians, and researchers to modify or refine their approaches and interventions. The think-aloud method has been utilized for capturing cognitive processes in a variety of fields, including computer usability, sports and cognitive psychology. Medical education also recognizes thought processes as valuable data for research and education. This article aims to guide researchers and educators through the preparation and implementation of a think-aloud method to record participants' thought processes during an activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel Motor Imagery to Facilitate Sensorimotor Re-Learning (MOTIFS) training model, which began development in 2018, integrates psychological training into physical rehabilitation in knee-injured people. This qualitative interview study aims to understand, interpret, and describe how physical therapists perceive using the MOTIFS Model. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with six physical therapists familiar with the MOTIFS model and eight with experience with care-as-usual training only, analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Two major themes were generated in the MOTIFS group: 1) "MOTIFS increases psychological focus during rehabilitation training"; and 2) "Care-as-Usual training is mainly physical, and lacks the necessary psychological focus." Physical therapists perceived structured methods of addressing psychological factors, such as using imagery to influence patients' motivation, fear, and preparation for return to activity. Three major themes were generated in the Care-as-Usual group: 1) "Rehabilitation is mainly to restore physical function"; 2) "Rehabilitation training includes a biopsychosocial interaction"; and 3) "Psychological factors are important to address, but strategies are lacking." Physical therapists perceive MOTIFS as a method of consciously shifting perspective toward an increased focus on psychological factors in knee-injury rehabilitation. Results indicate that a training model with integrated psychological strategies to create more holistic rehabilitation may be beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has increasingly focused on the environmental features within talent and performance development settings. However, practitioner perspectives on their role in optimizing these environments are scarce. This study aimed to examine practitioner perspectives of the role of the environment, specifically, how they plan, deliver and review (p-D-R) to optimize environmental conditions for athletes. Ten sports practitioners (including managers, coaches and multidisciplinary support staff) took part in semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis and generated themes associated with Planning (Conceptualization, Planning and Meeting Athlete's Needs), Delivering (Explicit, Implicit, Support, Communication, Holistic Approach) and Reviewing (KPIs, Evaluation & Monitoring, Rolling Review, Review Process). Findings suggest that to offer the best possible experiences to participants, practitioners must have a clear view of their objectives and involve all stakeholders associated with delivery at the planning stage. Much of the delivery aspect aligned with notions of effective TDEs suggesting practitioners had a clear awareness of what works for them in their contexts. Reviewing the environment appeared to be the activity practitioners undertook the least, this may reflect the complex and dynamic nature of the environment in sports settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth sport competitions are often emotionally charged events, with children, parents, coaches, and officials reporting emotions ranging from anxiety and stress through to enjoyment because of their involvement. One of the sources for the negative emotions and experiences associated with youth sport is the behaviors displayed by spectators on the sidelines. Typically, in youth sport events, these spectators are the parents of the children involved in the competition. Recognizing the detrimental consequences that arise for children when parents are inappropriately or negatively involved on the sidelines, sport psychology researchers and practitioners have increasingly targeted interventions at improving parents' involvement in competitions. Although such interventions are valuable and important for improving children's youth sport experiences, their focus is typically exclusively upon the interactions and relationships between parents and their children. However, negative behaviors from parents on the sidelines can also impact others in the environment, particularly sports officials who report abuse and aggression from the sidelines as one of the primary reasons for leaving their roles. As officiating numbers decline, sporting organizations are considering how to best tackle these attrition rates and one area that may be worthy of consideration is the interaction between parents and officials. To-date, limited consideration has been given to the bi-directional interactions between parents and officials or to steps that could be taken to improve interactions. To this end, the purpose of this commentary is to increase awareness, initiate conversations, stimulate research, and enhance applied practice targeting the interactions between officials and parents in youth sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a measurement of grateful climate is an essential step to examining the function of a grateful climate in a team or group context. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable measure of the grateful climate of sports teams. We defined the grateful climate of sports teams as a culturally shaped perception that team members collectively exhibit values, beliefs and expected behaviors that fit with the script of gratitude. Exploratory factor analysis and multilevel confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Sports Team Grateful Climate Questionnaire. In addition, nomological validity and incremental validity were also examined. The results indicated that the 9-item Sports Team Grateful Climate Questionnaire has good convergent validity, nomological validity, and incremental validity. We concluded that it can be a useful tool for future studies aiming to better understand grateful climate in sports teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In March 2020, the sports world came to a standstill as COVID-19 spread across the globe. Sport fans were among the industry stakeholders most affected. Fans turn to sports to satisfy a variety of needs [Trail, G.T. (2018). Sport consumer behavior (4th ed.). Printed by the author.] and experience psychosocial benefits by way of their fandom [Wann et al. (2000). The self-presentation of sport fans: Investigating the importance of team identification and self-esteem. Journal of Sport Behavior, 23(2), 198–206.; Wann et al. (2017). Testing the team identification–social psychological health model: Mediational relationships among team identification, sport fandom, sense of belonging, and meaning in life. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 21(2), 94–107.] Without games, however, to what extent were fans able to fulfill these needs? Further, did fans experience detrimental impacts to their self-esteem and sense of belongingness in relation to their team/fan communities? Data were collected via an online survey using select online NBA and MLB team message boards in addition to Amazon MTurk. Fan needs were measured using adapted versions of prior sport fan motivation scales [Trail & James (2001). The motivation scale for sport consumption: Assessment of the scale's psychometric properties. Journal of Sport Behavior, 24, 108–127; Wann (1995). Preliminary validation of the sport fan motivation scale. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 19(4), 377–396.]. Self-esteem was measured using an adapted version of Harris et al.'s [Harris et al. (2018). The Lifespan Self-Esteem scale: Initial validation of a new measure of global self-esteem. Journal of Personality Assessment, 100(1), 84–95]. Lifespan Self-Esteem Scale. Belongingness was measured using four items from Malone et al.'s [Malone et al. (2012). The general Belongingness Scale (GBS): Assessing achieved belongingness. Personality and Individual Differences, 52(3), 311–316]. General Belongingness Scale. Survey results from 417 sports fans revealed many of the needs typically met through sport consumption (i.e. achievement, drama, escape, family togetherness, social connections, group affiliation, and entertainment) went largely unmet during the pandemic. Further, highly passionate fans maintained higher perceived levels of self-esteem and belongingness than less passionate respondents. Results of this study should aid sports organizations in understanding the experience of their fans during the pandemic and better prepare teams and leagues to engage their consumers in future situations where live sports are unavailable. This paper builds on our understanding of fan motivation and psychosocial outcomes of fandom in a time when the sport was suspended due to COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance profiling is a widely used assessment and monitoring method within the field of sport psychology. As a client-centered tool, it helps athletes, coaches, and practitioners identify the characteristics perceived necessary for successful performance. However, traditional methods of performance profiling are not always appropriate for younger athletes or for application outside of an office or classroom. In line with recommendations from previous research, this article presents the experiences of a trainee sport and exercise psychologist during the development and implementation of a novel, team performance profiling activity. The activity was introduced in a workshop delivered to a youth soccer team to determine the content of three additional workshops. During the activity, the soccer players collaborated to identify the best soccer player in the world (i.e., Lionel Messi) and the behaviors, feelings, and thoughts that enabled him to be successful. Then, as a team, they rated their abilities with regards to the identified behaviors, feelings, and thoughts on a scale of 1 to 5 in relation to Lionel Messi, to identify their potential strengths and areas for improvement. For a visual representation of the ratings, colored cones were used. The trainee's experiences highlight the challenges of adapting traditional sport psychology tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\n\nIMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICEThis study examined the effect of a twelve-session Mindfulness, Acceptance and Self-Compassion in Sport (MASCS) program on self-compassion and somatic anxiety, worry and concentration disruption sub-dimensions of sport anxiety in elite tennis players. A randomized control group pretest and post-test experimental design was used in this study. The study involved sixteen elite tennis players attending a tennis club. Their ages ranged between 12 and 18 years, with a mean age of 14.25. The Sport Anxiety Scale-2 and the Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form were used as data collection instruments before and after the program. Elite tennis players in the experimental group participated in the MASCS program once a week for twelve weeks. The results showed that after the MASCS program, there was an increase in self-compassion and a decrease in somatic anxiety, worry, and concentration disruption sub-dimensions of sport anxiety in the experimental group. There were also significant differences between self-compassion and the somatic anxiety and concentration disruption sub-dimensions of sport anxiety post-test scores of the experimental and control groups in favor of the experimental group. These findings suggest that elite athletes can improve their ability to cope with anxiety in sports by practicing mindfulness and self-compassion exercises. Lay summary: A twelve-session Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Self-Compassion in Sport program decreased somatic anxiety and concentration disruption in elite tennis players. The Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Self-Compassion in Sports program increased self-compassion in elite tennis players.The MASCS program has great potential in decreasing somatic anxiety and concentration disruption dimensions of sport anxiety and increasing self-compassion in elite athletes.More exercises focusing on cognitive processes can be included in the program to increase the program’s effectiveness on the worry sub-dimension of sport anxiety.The MASCS program has great potential in decreasing somatic anxiety and concentration disruption dimensions of sport anxiety and increasing self-compassion in elite athletes.More exercises focusing on cognitive processes can be included in the program to increase the program’s effectiveness on the worry sub-dimension of sport anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Athletes are exposed to various psychological and physiological stressors, such as losing matches and high training loads. Understanding and improving the resilience of athletes is therefore crucial to prevent performance decrements and psychological or physical problems. In this review, resilience is conceptualized as a dynamic process of bouncing back to normal functioning following stressors. This process has been of wide interest in psychology, but also in the physiology and sports science literature (e.g. load and recovery). To improve our understanding of the process of resilience, we argue for a collaborative synthesis of knowledge from the domains of psychology, physiology, sports science, and data science. Accordingly, we propose a multidisciplinary, dynamic, and personalized research agenda on resilience. We explain how new technologies and data science applications are important future trends (1) to detect warning signals for resilience losses in (combinations of) psychological and physiological changes, and (2) to provide athletes and their coaches with personalized feedback about athletes' resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A perspective on self-talk introduced in the literature distinguishes between organic self-talk and strategic self-talk. Based on this perspective, the purpose of the present scoping review was to (a) give a comprehensive overview of studies investigating the relationship between organic self-talk and affective processes and (b) review the effectiveness of strategic self-talk to regulate affective processes. A systematic search was conducted with the databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus. As a result, 44 articles with 46 relevant studies were included for an in-depth analysis. Thirty studies focused on organic self-talk and 15 on strategic self-talk, while one study focused on both. With regard to organic self-talk, the results indicate a relatively consistent concurrence of the valence of self-talk and affective processes. In addition, various functions of self-talk relate to emotion regulation. For strategic self-talk, intervention studies, which were limited to the regulation of anxiety, revealed mixed effects. Based on the results, we discuss how the integration of various established theories in sport psychology in the new self-talk perspective might facilitate a more systematic approach when studying the relationship between self-talk and affective processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of a strong professional identity (PI) among sport psychology practitioners (SPPs) has the potential to increase the likelihood of individual ethical working, awareness of professional roles, and ultimately, support of a more effective and lasting career. Nevertheless, there is currently no global consensus regarding a definition of sport psychology professional identity, which is imperative for ongoing advances in professional formation, training and practice. In this study, we conducted a systematic review of the literature with the aim of developing an understanding of existing sport psychology professional identity knowledge. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we initially identified 4,393 research records, which we screened and assessed for eligibility reducing the sample of articles fitting our inclusion criteria to 25 manuscripts. We analyzed these articles by engaging in an inductive thematic analysis aimed at identifying patterns within the data and forming an organized, rich, and detailed description of the data. This analysis led to the development of four main themes: Formation of Professional Identity; Embodying Professional Identity; Influences on Professional Identity, and Challenges to Professional Identity. These data are discussed in terms of their implications for professional bodies and educational programs and their contribution to potential future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A plethora of studies has shown that parents experience their own range of outcomes as a result of having a child involved in organised sport. Despite this, the literature on parent-specific outcomes in youth sport has yet to be reviewed and synthesised. The aims of this study were to systematically review and synthesise, assess study quality, and propose a descriptive model of the qualitative literature pertaining to parental experiences in youth sport. To achieve these aims, 58 qualitative articles underwent meta-method, meta-theory, and meta-data analysis followed by a meta-synthesis of the findings. Our descriptive model proposes that parents experience outcomes that span single (e.g. emotional reactions, interpersonal behaviours, learned behaviours, and resource expenditure) and multiple-events (e.g. health and wellbeing, identity, social relationships, and parental satisfaction) as a result of their involvement in organised sport. All the while, youth sport participation requires ongoing financial, temporal, and emotional investment from parents. Furthermore, although included studies were generally strong methodologically, future investigations of parental experience in sport would benefit from greater incorporation of theory and interdisciplinary collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review explores the reflective accounts of applied sport psychology practitioners. The aim of this review was to synthesise the reflective accounts of applied sport psychology practitioners and highlight common themes that provide focus to their reflective practice. The insight into current progress on reflective content in applied sport psychology provides a foundation to build on as we continue to understand this topic. Following a systematic search of the literature, a total of 73 studies were included within the review, which were analysed using thematic content analysis. Analysis of the reflective accounts resulted in the creation of nine higher-order themes: Process and Purpose of Reflective Practice; Ethical Practice; Supporting Person and Performer; Practitioner Individuation; Relationships with Clients; Cultural Awareness; Competence-Related Angst; Support of Practitioner Development; and Evaluating Practitioner Effectiveness. The review includes recommendations for future research, such as the use of narrative analysis to provide further insight into applied practitioners' experiences. We also provide practical implications, which are tailored to match the specific demands of practitioners at different stages of development and include increased engagement in critical reflection for trainee practitioners and engaging with 'critical friends' to facilitate the process of meta-reflection for newly qualified practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The systematic analysis of academic publishing and citation practices serves as an indication of the conceptual and intellectual structure of a defined field of study. To highlight the structure of research in sport-based positive youth development, 198 peer-reviewed articles published between 1999 and 2020 were subject to citation network analysis. Descriptive analyses highlighted a steady increase in publication frequency across two decades (annual growth rate = 3.36%) and outlined the most prominent contributors to PYD research as a function of authors, articles, and sources. Further, we mapped the conceptual structure of PYD research in sport using a co-occurrence keyword network and thematic map, and the intellectual structure of the research by producing a co-citation network of articles and authors in the field. In all, this review of publishing and citation practices in sport-based PYD is the first to bring the research together in full to map the emergence of conceptual trends over time as well as the authors, articles, and journals associated with these developments. We conclude with recommendations related to foundational PYD texts, elements of a published manuscript used in bibliometric analysis, and a need for conceptual clarity in the field of sport-based PYD research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]