The placebo effect is a fascinating phenomenon that has advanced beyond the medical field into the field of sport and exercise psychology. The goal of the present study was to expand this literature by investigating the effects of expectation manipulation on perceived physical, affective, and cognitive benefits following exercise. To address this aim, 77 young adults (Mage = 29.84, SD = 9.83) were asked to rate the expected cognitive, affective, and physical benefits of a stretching program, and to elaborate on their ratings via an online survey. Participants were randomly allocated to three expectation conditions: expectation-benefit, expectation-no benefit, or no expectation control. All participants were evaluating the same stretching program, but read fictitious testimonies and watched videos that were aimed at manipulating their expectations. Analyses revealed that the expectation-benefit group expected higher cognitive and affective benefits from the stretching program than the expectation-no benefits group (ps < 0.001). No significant differences emerged on the expectation to receive physical benefits among all three groups. The thematic analysis of participants’ rationale for their ratings revealed that beliefs about benefits were modified through the testimonies and videos provided. Participants also relied on their previous knowledge or experience about stretching to inform their predictions about the expected benefits of the stretching program. Results from this study expand the knowledge on expectations manipulation in exercise settings, and provide exercise professionals with strategies to maximize the benefits participants can receive from exercise.
Athletes' perfectionism is influenced by personality, which in turn leads to differences in athletic performance. This study investigates the intricate relationship between perfectionism and the Big Five personality traits, particularly within the context of athletes. We apply fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to survey data to identify which personality combinations lead to perfectionism. The study sample selected through purposive sampling from various sports disciplines within Macao and Anhui Province. Personality traits and perfectionism levels were assessed using the Simplified Chinese Big Five Personality Questionnaire (CBF-PI) and the Chinese Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Questionnaire (CFMPS). Results indicate that neuroticism and conscientiousness are crucial in predicting perfectionistic concerns and perfectionistic strivings, respectively. Three personality configurations leading to perfectionistic concerns were identified, with high neuroticism, high conscientiousness, low extraversion, and low openness being core conditions. Four configurations leading to perfectionistic strivings were identified, with low neuroticism, high conscientiousness, high agreeableness, and either high extraversion or high openness as core conditions. The study reveals the complex interactions between personality traits and challenges the variable-centered research approach. The results underscore the importance of understanding the multidimensionality and complexity of perfectionism in athletes and offer directions for further research.
The current study analyzed the effect of virtual reality-based intervention on depression and quality of life in stroke patients. Databases (National Assembly Library, DBpia, RISS, KISS) were searched to extract studies for meta-analysis by using the PICOS framework. From this procedure, two dissertations and five journal articles were selected for the literature on the effect on depression, and four dissertations and three journal articles were selected for the literature on the effect on quality of life. The R program(ver.4.0.5) meta-analysis package was used to calculate the effect sizes for depression and quality of life. Results using random-effects model indicated that the effect size of depression was -0.82 (95 % CI=-1.29, -0.35), which was a large effect size, and also the effect size of quality of life was 1.12 (95 % CI=0.56, 1.67), showing a large effect size. The current study concluded that VR-based intervention has positive effect on depression and quality of life in stroke patients.
The Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-Sport-52) is a tool developed to measure the frequency of stress associated through recovery activities with strong theoretical foundations. The study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Malay version of RESTQ-Sport-52 using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). A cross-sectional study with purposive sampling method was employed. There were 617 undergraduate university students in Malaysia participated in the study with mean age of 20 years old (SD = 1.5). The majority of the participants were female (66.1 %), Malay (76 %) and participated in at least one sport or exercise. The RESTQ-Sport-52-M consisted of 52 items with two main sections; (1) general stress and recovery scales and (2) sport-specific stress and recovery scales. Mplus 8.3 was used to perform the CFA and ESEM analysis to examine the construct validity and reliability of RESTQ-Sport-52-M. For measurement model assessment using CFA, the final model of general-stress/recovery and sport-specific stress/recovery indicated a fit based on several fit indices. However, in the measurement model assessment using ESEM, the fit indices for model of general-stress/recovery (CFI = 0.935, SRMR = 0.037, RMSEA = 0.045) and sport-stress/recovery (CFI = 0.923, SRMR = 0.036, RMSEA = 0.044) were generally improved. The construct reliability for measurement models of RESTQ-Sport-52-M ranged from 0.76 to 0.89. The ESEM approach yielded a better fit indices compared to the CFA approach for both scales. The RESTQ-Sport-52-M (50 items) were considered a more valid and reliable questionnaire to measure recovery and stress in sports for Malaysian sample.

