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This study examined sources of sport confidence and their relationship to trait sport confidence with master athletes. The study employed 216 athletes from 50 to 96 years of age in track and field, tennis, and swimming, using the Sources of Sport Confidence Questionnaire (SSCQ; Vealey, Hayashi, Garner-Holman, & Giacobbi, 1998). Confirmatory factor analysis failed to replicate the proposed 9-factor structure of the SSCQ. Exploratory factor analyses revealed an 8-factor structure with similar factors to the SSCQ, but with fewer items and the elimination of the situational favorableness factor. Physical/mental preparation and mastery were the highest ranked sources among the athletes. A simultaneous multiple regression analysis indicated that physical/ mental preparation and demonstration of ability were significant predictors of trait sport confidence for master athletes. Our findings suggest that the SSCQ needs more psychometric work if it is to be used with this type of population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aims: To determine the relationship between anticipated pain and actual pain experienced following soft tissue grafting or implant surgery; to identify the factors that predict actual pain experienced and the use of pain medication following soft tissue grafting or implant surgery. Materials and Methods: Prior to dental implant placement (n = 98) or soft tissue grafting (n = 115) and for seven days following the procedure, patients completed a visual analog scale indicating anticipated or experienced pain, respectively. The use of pain medication and alcohol, and smoking were measured. Results: Actual pain experienced on day 1 was lower (p < .01) than anticipated pain and continued to decrease (p ≤ .01) for each of the 7 consecutive days. Anticipated and actual pain were positively correlated. Increasing age (p < .05), having sedation during the surgery (p < .05), and lower use of pain pills (p < .01) predicted lower pain experienced. Actual pain experienced was a predictor of pain pill use (p < .01). Greater nervousness (p < .01) prior to surgery was a predictor of greater anticipated pain. Conclusions: Patients anticipated more pain than they actually experienced. Sedation, age and number of pain pills used predicted pain experienced. This trial was registered with clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03064178. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although studies have shown that the self-efficacy–performance relationship can be studied within performances (LaForge & Sullivan, 2010), no studies have directly compared noncontinuous (i.e., between performances) and continuous (i.e., within performances) conditions. The present study examined the efficacy–performance relationship within a continuous task and between a noncontinuous sport conditions. Path analyses revealed reciprocal efficacy–performance relationships in both the continuous and noncontinuous conditions, with higher goodness of fit indicators in the noncontinuous condition and a higher number of significant pathways in the continuous condition. These results imply potential differences in the cognitive processing of efficacy information between and within sport performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has shown that individuals tend to have higher pain tolerance after participating in a vigorous activity in synchrony with others compared to after they perform the same activity alone. The current study was designed to examine if the effect of this behavioral synchrony differs according to the social presence of teammates or strangers. Twenty-four individuals rowed on ergometers for 45 min in both individual and group conditions. Half the participants rowed in the group condition with teammates, whereas the other half rowed them with confederates. ANOVA procedures revealed pain tolerance was significantly higher after participating in a group condition than in an individual condition, and that there was no significant difference between a group of strangers and teammates. This higher pain tolerance has been inferred as an indicator of endorphin activity, which may be related to behavioral synchrony. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Within sport psychology, a vague concept of effective team communication has been broached. Because of a lack of theoretical basis and skewed measurement, this construct is presently misunderstood and underutilized. A total of 681 athletes participated in a series of studies designed to construct a measurement of effective team communication in sports. Independent exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and subsequent confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) uncovered a 4-factor model. The 4 emergent factors were defined as Distinctiveness, Acceptance, Positive Conflict, and Negative Conflict. Acceptance, distinctiveness, and positive conflict were consistently positively correlated to all aspects of cohesion, while negative conflict was negatively correlated to task cohesion. Post hoc analyses suggested that male athletes exchanged more distinctiveness and negative conflict than did female athletes. The resultant scale is offered as a theory-based, data-driven measurement of effective team communication in sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]