Psychology of sport and exercise最新文献

This study explored the interplay between actual and perceived motor competence and their associations with physical activity and fitness among children with and without risk of developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Utilizing data from 479 children aged 7-9 years from the CATCH cohort, latent profile analysis identified four distinct profiles based on Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC-2) and the Perceived Efficacy and Goals Setting System (PEGS). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was assessed through waist worn accelerometers, and fitness was assessed using the Bruce protocol, Wingate anaerobic cycling test, and standing long jump. Four latent profiles were identified including low-aligned (7.1%; low actual and perceived competence), over-perceivers (53.0%; low actual but above-average perceived competence), average-aligned (20.0%), and high-aligned (19.8%). Children in the low-aligned profile engaged in significantly less moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and demonstrated poorer physical fitness than children in all other profiles. Notably, over-perceivers exhibited MVPA levels comparable to children with average and high motor competence, despite their low actual competence. However, fitness levels remained lower among all children with reduced actual motor competence, regardless of perceived competence. These findings suggest that perceived motor competence may buffer against low motor competence-related declines in physical activity, though not in physical fitness. Findings highlight the potential utility of targeting perceived competence in motor skill interventions, particularly among children at risk of DCD, to enhance physical activity engagement. Interventions that simultaneously address actual and perceived competence may offer a promising strategy to support physical development in this population.

Career transition in sport is a consolidated topic both in academia and applied practice. In recognition of the 25th anniversary of Psychology of Sport and Exercise (PSE), Stambulova and Henriksen (2025) shared a review paper on career transitions in sport with the driving idea to bridge the holistic developmental approach (HDA) and the holistic ecological approach (HEA). In this comment we summarize their main contributions adding our perspective on the debates and future challenges proposed by the authors. Furthermore, we conclude that the bridge they propose between HDA and HEA is a bridge over calm waters, given the complementarity of the proposals, and their collaborative and constructive work, like that of most researchers and practitioners of sport working in this field.

Background: The effectiveness of exercise on executive functions and core symptoms in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remains unclear. This study aimed to synthesize existing evidence on the effects of both acute and chronic exercise on these outcomes.

Methods: We systematically searched Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO from inception to April 18, 2025. Studies that implemented acute or chronic exercise interventions targeting either executive functions or core symptoms in adults with ADHD were included. Only parallel-group randomized controlled trials and crossover trials with non-exercise control conditions were eligible for meta-analysis.

Results: Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria for systematic review, with eight studies included in the meta-analysis. Acute exercise interventions exerted a moderate positive effect on inhibitory control (Hedges' g = 0.55, 95% CI [0.32, 0.79], p < 0.001), and a small beneficial effect on core symptoms (Hedges' g = 0.23, 95% CI [0.03, 0.43], p = 0.024) in adults with ADHD. For chronic exercise interventions, qualitative synthesis of existing evidence suggested mixed results, which highlights the need for further research.

Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence on the potential role of exercise as a nonpharmacological strategy for improving executive functions and core symptoms in adults with ADHD.

Women's gymnastics demands early entry, specialisation, and substantial time commitment. Exclusive emphasis on athletic performance and demanding training regimes can hinder the establishment of a balanced life during childhood and may lead to difficulties following retirement, including identity loss, lack of direction and sense of purpose, and social alienation. Although previous research has extensively explored issues related to female gymnasts' athletic identity, body image, and eating behaviours following retirement, aspects such as sleep, education, and support post-retirement have been overlooked. This oversight is particularly significant given the early retirement age in gymnastics and the role of sleep in physiological development. Therefore, thirteen female ex-gymnasts were recruited and participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews to better understand the challenges they face in relation to their sleep and mental health. Four key themes were identified using reflexive thematic analysis: (i) abuse of the coach-athlete relationship (coach originated pressures culminate into poor wellbeing); (ii) drastic lifestyle, social, and physical change after retirement (transition out of sport impacting identity, sleep, and mental health); (iii) inadequate education and support (insufficient resources and support, and misinformation/lack of education surrounding mental health and sleep); and (iv) potential for change (improvement is viable with indication of imminent change). Findings indicate why mental health and sleep issues occur among female ex-gymnasts, suggest reasons why they are reluctant to seek help, and inform how they can be better supported. Retirement transitions may be eased through social exploration, gradual disengagement, and continued physical activity, supported by strong coach-athlete relationships and consistent, evidence-based education on sleep and mental health.

Migrating dual career (DC) athletes may experience multiple transition events in sport and non-sport aspects of their lives. How successfully these are navigated can alter their career trajectory. This study combined holistic development and ecological approaches to explore Irish DC athlete perceptions of: (a) their transition to the US collegiate system throughout three transition phases and (b) changes in the support system in their transition environment. Through purposeful sampling, 11 participants were recruited from eight different sports (American Football N = 1; Basketball N = 1; Cross-country N = 2; Golf N = 2; Rowing N = 1; Tennis N = 1; Track & Field N = 1; Soccer N = 2; N = 4 females; N = 7 males; M_age = 20.04 years; SD = 1.88 years). A total of 36 individual semi-structured interviews, averaging 46.93 min (SD = 9.79 min), were conducted across three time points spanning 12 months. This rich experiential data was then examined using reflexive thematic analysis. Three first-order themes synthesized the Irish DC athlete transition journey through three phases, from scholarship dreams to reality; coping with the demands of being a student-athlete; and learning how to progress. Twelve second-order themes characterize salient elements of the DC athletes transition experiences through the three phases. Findings were examined adopting theoretical athlete transition models taking holistic, ecological and cultural perspectives. Findings informed a number of practical recommendations to assist successful athlete transitions which include improving: i) pre-transition phase preparation resources for DC athletes; ii) liaison between home and US collegiate coaches toward the DC athlete's holistic development; iii) DC athlete transition literacy; and iv) mental health and sport psychological professional support to those most likely experiencing crisis transition events.

Decision making is a crucial skill in team sports, yet remains challenging to measure in controlled settings. For instance, video-based testing of decision making has long neglected the interpersonal interactions between attackers and defenders, therefore it remains unclear to what degree embodied decision-making tested in those conditions reflects that observed in the natural environment. The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which interpersonal interactions influence behaviour in an embodied decision-making task. We designed an interactive avatar defender in a virtual-reality setting and conducted an empirical study to evaluate the impact of the interactions. Attackers performed a 1v1 task, and we manipulated the defender's level of interactivity to compare the attacker's behaviour to that observed when facing an opponent in-situ. Decision-making behaviour was compared across four conditions of increasing interactivity (virtual no-opponent, virtual non-interactive opponent, virtual interactive opponent, and in-situ opponent). Results strongly support the idea that adding interactions makes the task more representative of in-situ behaviour. Specifically, key measures of behaviour (e.g., trial duration and number of touches) measured with the virtual-interactive opponent (β_Touches = 4.3, β_Duration = 2.7) were much more representative of the in-situ behaviour (β_Touches = 5.4, β_Duration = 3.6) than they were against the virtual non-interactive opponent (β_Touches = 2.9, β_Duration = 1.84) and in the virtual no-opponent condition (β_Touches = 2.5 β_Duration = 1.4). The results validate the call to incorporate interpersonal interactions as a key component of decision-making tasks, and to support this we introduce a novel method for assessing interactive decision-making skills that we make available open source.

This essay provides a reflective commentary on Smith et al.'s "25 years of qualitative research in sport and exercise psychology" piece. Alongside summarising the primary insights of their review, I seek to situate current qualitative sport and exercise work within psychology's long-standing quest for scientific legitimacy. Including a whistle-stop tour of the history of psychology, I argue that a form of disciplinary imposter syndrome has shaped psychological science and continues to influence contemporary qualitative research. The consequences of this scientism are a trend towards formulaic, risk-averse, qualitative inquiry-by-numbers. Extending Brinkmann's (2015) McDonaldization metaphor, I propose McDowellisation; which positions qualitative methodolatry as motivated by a quest to appear more objective, more scientific, and ultimately more like our "real science" quantitative cousins. The danger is that the field of qualitative research foregoes the very qualities that inspired its rise. My optimistic conclusion is to follow the lead of those scholars that have rejected rigid fast-food processes in favour or rigorous, reflexive, interpretive work across a broad range of methodologies.

Elite athletes face a range of challenges throughout their careers including injury, selection, funding status, and retirement. To support athletes to plan for and overcome these challenges, Career Assistance Programs (CAPs) have been developed to support personal and professional development, yet engagement with these services remains low. The aim of this study was to explore the perceived barriers to athletes' engagement with personal development within the UK High-Performance sport system. Underpinned by ontological relativism and epistemological constructivism, 15 elite athletes who were on a funded UK Sport World Class Olympic or Paralympic Program participated in semi-structured interviews. The dataset was analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes were developed: The Athlete Bubble, outlines the barrier of the performance-driven culture, Head in the Sand reflects the fear of retirement, and Bridging the Employment Gap highlights the tension of meeting training demands with work opportunities. Findings reveal how cultural expectations, elite sport environments, coach-athlete relationships and scheduling conflicts inhibit athlete engagement with personal development. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the cultural and systemic barriers that shape how athletes interpret and navigate their development journeys and offers direction for developing more integrated, athlete-centered CAPs.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of 12 weeks of resistance training (RT) on sleep quality, mental health, cognitive function, and functional capacity among older women with both good and poor subjective sleep quality.

Methods: A total of 160 older women (69.2 ± 5.7 years) were randomly assigned to two experimental conditions: the RT group and the control group (CG). Each group was further divided based on their initial subjective sleep quality ratings into Poor Sleep RT, Good Sleep RT, Poor Sleep CG, and Good Sleep CG. The supervised RT program, which lasted 12 weeks in the training groups, included eight exercises performed with 8-12 repetitions and progressive loading. Sleep quality and mental health were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Cognitive functions were measured using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Trail Making Test A and B, Verbal Fluency Test, and Stroop Test. Functional capacity was evaluated using the 6-min walk test, the 4-m usual walking speed test, the walking agility test, and the 30-s chair stand test.

Results: Interaction effects were observed in specific mental health outcomes and sleep quality (P < 0.05). In the Poor Sleep RT group, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores decreased from 7.26 ± 2.89 to 4.61 ± 2.83 (P < 0.001), with post-training values lower than those in both control groups. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores also significantly declined in both RT groups, as seen in the Poor Sleep RT group, where scores decreased from 6.40 ± 4.00 to 2.65 ± 4.19. Similarly, depressive symptoms (assessed by the PHQ-9) decreased post-training in both RT groups, showing lower values than the controls. Additionally, similar interaction effects provoked by RT were revealed for cognitive performance (P < 0.05) and functional capacity (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Our results suggest that a 12-week RT program can improve subjective sleep quality, mental health, cognitive function, and functional capacity, regardless of initial sleep quality levels.

Objective: Contemporary research has highlighted the important role of affect, affect-related cognitions (e.g., remembered/anticipated affect), and enjoyment for exercise adherence. The peak-and-end rule postulates that the affective peaks and end encountered during an episode of experience influence how pleasant/unpleasant the episode is remembered. This study aimed to explore the influence of these specific moments on affect-related cognitions, enjoyment, and exercise frequency.

Method: This study was based on a randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups. Forty-six non-regular exercisers (M_age = 32.00 years; SD = 8.62; 43.5 % male) were randomly allocated. Both groups participated in three exercise sessions structured according to the Frequency-Intensity-Time-Type (FITT) principle. However, in the experimental group, participants were encouraged to regulate their intensity using strategies theorized to promote pleasure. The Feeling Scale (FS) was used to measure affective responses. Linear regression analyses were applied to test the ability of FS peaks and FS end, in addition to the FS mean, FS slope, and FS start to predict remembered affect, next-session anticipated affect, enjoyment, and post-intervention exercise frequency (first week and the average of 8-week follow-up).

Results: All FS variables, except for the FS slope, meaningfully predicted remembered/anticipated affect and enjoyment (10 %-47 % explained variance). Regarding post-intervention exercise frequency, both affect-related cognitions and enjoyment exhibited significant predictive power (7 %-20 % explained variance).

Conclusion: The results corroborate the relevance of the peak and end rule and the value of affect-related cognitions and enjoyment for exercise adherence. Future studies should further test these concepts in longer interventions and follow-up periods.