Depression among elite athletes is a topic of increasing interest and public awareness. Currently, empirical data on elite athletes' depressive symptoms are rare. Recent results indicate ...sport-related mechanisms and effects on depression prevalence in elite athlete samples; specific factors associated with depression include overtraining, injury, and failure in competition. One such effect is that athletes competing in individual sports were found to be more prone to depressive symptoms than athletes competing in team sports. The present study examined this effect by testing three possible, psychological mediators based on theoretical and empirical assumptions: namely, cohesion in team or training groups; perception of perfectionistic expectations from others; and negative attribution after failure. In a cross-sectional study, 199 German junior elite athletes (M age = 14.96; SD = 1.56) participated and completed questionnaires on perfectionism, cohesion, attribution after failure, and depressive symptoms. Mediation analysis using path analysis with bootstrapping was used for data analysis. As expected, athletes in individual sports showed higher scores in depression than athletes in team sports t(197) = 2.05; p < 0.05; d = 0.30. Furthermore, negative attribution after failure was associated with individual sports (β = 0.27; p < 0.001), as well as with the dependent variable depression (β = 0.26; p < 0.01). Mediation hypothesis was supported by a significant indirect effect (β = 0.07; p < 0.05). Negative attribution after failure mediated the relationship between individual sports and depression scores. Neither cohesion nor perfectionism met essential criteria to serve as mediators: cohesion was not elevated in either team or individual sports, and perfectionism was positively related to team sports. The results support the assumption of previous findings on sport-specific mechanisms (here the effect between individual and team sports) contributing to depressive symptoms among elite athletes. Additionally, attribution after failure seems to play an important role in this regard and could be considered in further research and practitioners in the field of sport psychology.
The aim of this review is to (1) retrieve all data validating the Session-rating of perceived exertion (RPE)-method using various criteria, (2) highlight the rationale of this method and its ...ecological usefulness, and (3) describe factors that can alter RPE and users of this method should take into consideration.
Search engines such as SPORTDiscus, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases in the English language between 2001 and 2016 were consulted for the validity and usefulness of the session-RPE method. Studies were considered for further analysis when they used the session-RPE method proposed by Foster et al. in 2001. Participants were athletes of any gender, age, or level of competition. Studies using languages other than English were excluded in the analysis of the validity and reliability of the session-RPE method. Other studies were examined to explain the rationale of the session-RPE method and the origin of RPE.
A total of 950 studies cited the Foster et al. study that proposed the session RPE-method. 36 studies have examined the validity and reliability of this proposed method using the modified CR-10.
These studies confirmed the validity and good reliability and internal consistency of session-RPE method in several sports and physical activities with men and women of different age categories (children, adolescents, and adults) among various expertise levels. This method could be used as "standing alone" method for training load (TL) monitoring purposes though some recommend to combine it with other physiological parameters as heart rate.
Change of direction speed, reaction time, sprint speed, and explosive strength are important factors that determine athletes’ performance in the majority of sports. From the practical standpoint, it ...is of interest to investigate to what extent they differ among athletes of team and individual sports. We compared 7 handball, 11 basketball, and 15 male table tennis players in four reaction time tests, 505 Agility test, 5m and 20m sprints, squat, countermovement, and drop jumps. Basketball players performed better in reaction time to fast generating stimuli (12.6%, p=.001) and countermovement jump height (14.5%, p=.05) than handball players. In addition, they achieved a higher reactive strength index (25%, p=.01) than table tennis players. Handball players were faster in the 505 Agility test compared to table tennis players (4.6%, p=.04). Results revealed that performance of basketball players is mainly determined by explosive strength, handball players by change of direction speed, and table tennis by speed of response to visual stimuli. These differences may be ascribed to long-term adaptation to sport-specific stimuli. Novel assessment methods and devices should better determine key performance factors of athletes with regard to sport-specific tasks.
Sleep is an essential component for athlete recovery due to its physiological and psychological restorative effects, yet few studies have explored the habitual sleep/wake behaviour of elite athletes. ...The aims of the present study were to investigate the habitual sleep/wake behaviour of elite athletes, and to compare the differences in sleep between athletes from individual and team sports. A total of 124 (104 male, 20 female) elite athletes (mean ± s: age 22.2 ± 3.0 years) from five individual sports and four team sports participated in this study. Participants' sleep/wake behaviour was assessed using self-report sleep diaries and wrist activity monitors for a minimum of seven nights (range 7-28 nights) during a typical training phase. Mixed-effects analyses of variances were conducted to compare the differences in the sleep/wake behaviour of athletes from two sport types (i.e. individual and team). Overall, this sample of athletes went to bed at 22:59 ± 1.3, woke up at 07:15 ± 1.2 and obtained 6.8 ± 1.1 h of sleep per night. Athletes from individual sports went to bed earlier, woke up earlier and obtained less sleep (individual vs team; 6.5 vs 7.0 h) than athletes from team sports. These data indicate that athletes obtain well below the recommended 8 h of sleep per night, with shorter sleep durations existing among athletes from individual sports.
It is widely recognized that motivation is an important determinant for a successful sports career. Specific patterns of motivational constructs have recently demonstrated promising associations with ...future success in team sports like football and ice hockey. The present study scrutinizes whether those patterns also exist in individual sports and whether they are able to predict future performance levels. A sample of 155 young individual athletes completed questionnaires assessing achievement goal orientations, achievement motives, and self-determination at t
. The person-oriented method linking of clusters after removal of a residue (LICUR) was used to form clusters based on these motivational constructs in order to analyze the relations between these clusters and the performance level 2.5 years later (t
). Similar to the studies in team sports, four motivational patterns were observed at t
. The
were much more likely to compete internationally odds ratio (
) = 2.12, compared to the
(
= 0.29). Although team and individual sports differ in many respects, they nevertheless are characterized by similar and thus generalizable career-promoting motivational profiles: Regardless of the type of sport, the
athletes consistently have the best potential for success.
Sports participation is associated with children’ health and wellbeing; however, existing evidence is predominantly based on cross-sectional studies. This study examined the longitudinal association ...of sports participation with psychosocial wellbeing of Australian children.
Data were from five waves of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LASC) aged 6-7 years in 2010 (n=4,242) and followed-up until 2018. Outcomes were assessed using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Sports participation was measured using two items assessing regular participation in team and individual sports.
Multilevel mixed-effects modelling showed that any sports participation was beneficially associated with psychosocial wellbeing. Boys who participated in team sports had 1.78 point lower difficulties score (β=-1.78; 95%CI: -2.01,-1.55), while this was 0.58 points lower for individual sports (β=-0.58; -0.81,-0.34). In girls, difficulties score was 1.22 point lower for team sports (β=-1.22; -1.44,-1.00) and 0.49 point lower for individual sports (β=-0.49; -0.71,-0.26). Sports participation was positively associated with better quality of life with team sports (β=4.72; 4.15,5.28 for boys; β=3.44; 2.87,4.00 for girls) offering more benefits than individual sports (β=1.00; 0.83,1.98 for boys; β=1.40; 0.83,1.98 for girls). Participation in both team and individual sports had the strongest benefits. Prolonged engagement in sports was associated with better psychosocial wellbeing in a dose-dependent manner.
Regular participation in any sports can benefit children’s wellbeing with team sports being more beneficial than individual sports. Encouraging children to regularly participate and remain engaged in sports can help to optimise their psychosocial wellbeing.
The practices of strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches have been reported in various professional sports. This study aims to comprehensively assess this available evidence to help establish whether ...theoretical, practical, and evidence-based guidelines align with the practices employed by these experienced S&C coaches. Three databases were searched (PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Cochrane) until November 2020. Studies surveying the practices of S&C coaches in professional sports using a survey design with common questions, written in English, and published in peer-reviewed journals were reviewed. Eight studies (
n
= 318 S&C coaches) were finally included. All studies adapted a similar survey, providing a strong basis for comparison between sports. Periodization strategies were widely used (89%), with training volume consistently reduced during the in-season period. Olympic weightlifting was commonly used across sports, except in baseball (29%). Plyometric exercises were predominantly prescribed for speed development (74%) and lower body power (68%), which were mostly programed as complex training (45%) and conducted all year round (52%). Flexibility exercises were mostly performed before practice (83%) for 6–10 min (40%). Physical tests were mainly conducted during the preseason period (66%), with body composition (86%) being the most used test. S&C coaches generally adhered to current guidelines and research in S&C concerning training prescription and physical testing. Whereas, intersport differences were also noted and further discussed. Results of this study can be used by S&C coaches to plan, implement, and review their professional practices. Furthermore, may inform the development of general and sport-specific guidelines, and future research in S&C.
This paper presents a series of studies that progresses the development and validation of the Parent-Initiated Motivational Climate in Individual Sport Competition Questionnaire (MCISCQ-Parent). ...Study 1 examined the face and content validity of an initial pool of 26 items based on the principles of achievement goal theory and prior research. In Study 2, data from an adolescent sample of individual sport athletes was subjected to an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of items pertaining to the perceived task and ego involving characteristics of fathers and mothers in the competition setting. Study 3 tested the factor structure of the MCISCQ-Parent through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in a further youth athlete sample. Following appropriate CFA-related modifications, good goodness of fit indices emerged for the father- (three factor-model) and mother-related (two factor-model) dimensions of motivational climate. In Study 4, a further CFA was conducted and provided additional evidence for the revised factor structure of the MCISCQ-Parent, convergent and discriminant validity, and internal consistency. Finally, Study 5 provided support for the concurrent validity of the MCISCQ-Parent by demonstrating significant relationships between MCISCQ-Parent subscales and task and ego orientation, athlete engagement, and perceived social support. In sum, we present the MCISCQ-Parent as a measure with promising psychometric properties, and specifically to those applied researchers interested in assessing the quality of motivation-related parental involvement perceived by young athletes in the competition setting.
ABSTRACT This study aims at describing and comparing the prevalence of bullying behaviours and the perspective of victims, bystanders, and aggressors in team, individual, and combat sports. The ...survey involved 664 athletes of both genders (13–18 years old) from sports school and federated of several sports (team n= 451, individual n= 173, combat n= 40), who filled in the Prevention of Violence in Sport Questionnaire. The prevalence of bullying (victims, bullies, and bystanders) was 26.7% in team sports; 19.1% in individual sports, and 23.1% in combat. Through the Chi-square test, it was verified that there were no significant differences between different sports in what concerns the prevalence of bullying behaviours; neither was there a difference in the perspective of victims, bystanders, and aggressors. The percentage was bigger in victims (7.7%) and bystanders (17.4%) in combat sports, and aggressors (3.3%) in team sports. There are not aggressors in combat sports. Further studies are needed in order to achieve a deeper knowledge of the problem and plan strategies to prevent this sort of behaviour.
The back is subjected to a great deal of strain in many sports. Up to 20% of all sports injuries involve an injury to the lower back or neck. Repetitive or high impact loads (e.g., running, ...gymnastics, skiing) and weight loading (e.g., weightlifting) affect the lower back. Rotation of the torso (e.g., golf, tennis) causes damage to both, the lumbar and thoracic spine. The cervical spine is most commonly injured in contact sports (e.g., boxing, football). One of the factors that increases the odds of injuries in athletes is excessive and rapid increases in training loads. In spite of currently emerging evidence on this issue, little is known about the balance between physiological loading on the spine and athletic performance, versus overloading and back pain and/or injury in athletes. This scoping review aims (i) to map the literature that addresses the association between the training load and the occurrence of back pain and/or injury, especially between the Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio (ACWR) and back problems in athletes of individual and team sports, and (ii) to identify gaps in existing literature and propose future research on this topic. A literature search of six electronic databases (i.e., MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, SportDiscus, and CINAHL) was conducted. A total of 48 research articles met the inclusion criteria. Findings identified that fatigue of the trunk muscles induced by excessive loading of the spine is one of the sources of back problems in athletes. In particular, high training volume and repetitive motions are responsible for the high prevalence rates. The most influential are biomechanical and physiological variations underlying the spine, though stress-related psychological factors should also be considered. However, limited evidence exists on the relationship between the ACWR and back pain or non-contact back injuries in athletes from individual and team sports. This may be due to insufficiently specified the acute and chronic time window that varies according to sport-specific schedule of competition and training. More research is therefore warranted to elucidate whether ACWR, among other factors, is able to identify workloads that could increase the risk of back problems in athletes.
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