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Psychological predictors of sport dropout in adolescents: a latent profile analysis of risk profiles and R3STEP auxiliary regression
Understanding why adolescents discontinue organized sport is central to sustaining the physical and mental health benefits of sport participation. Most research has examined psychological correlates of dropout one variable at a time, yet burnout, amotivation, and competitive anxiety may co-occur…
*SPKN EXCLUSIVE* The Athlete Identity Trap: Navigating self-concept and mental health in extended NFL career pursuits
By: Dr. Brandy Runyan This study explored the persistence of undrafted football players who continue to pursue National Football League (NFL) careers five or more years beyond their draft class. Despite systemic barriers and long odds, these athletes remain deeply…
The effectiveness of decision-making training in team-sport officials: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Sports officials must make accurate, fast, and fair decisions under pressure—skills that are challenging to develop given the lack of structured training environments. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized findings from 14 studies (9 included in the meta-analysis) to evaluate…
What Is “Zone 2 Training”?: Experts’ Viewpoint on Definition, Training Methods, and Expected Adaptations
“Zone 2 training” has become a popular topic among endurance athletes and coaches, often praised for its ability to induce a wide range of aerobic adaptations. However, definitions of Zone 2 vary, leading to confusion around how it should be…
New insights on mind-muscle connection: Motor imagery concomitant to actual resistance training enhances force performance
Motor imagery (MI), the mental simulation of a movement without physical execution, has long been used to improve performance. While most studies focus on isometric contractions in lab settings, this study tested a novel approach: combining MI with the actual…
Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being.
Reigning measures of psychological well-being have little theoretical grounding, despite an extensive literature on the contours of positive functioning. Aspects of well-being derived from this literature (i.e., self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal…
A Guided Digital Sleep Intervention to Improve Sleep Among Elite Athletes: A Feasibility Study
This feasibility study examined whether a guided digital sleep program, combining a 40-minute workshop, a structured seven-chapter sleep app, and weekly motivational reminders, could improve sleep and mental health among elite athletes. Sixteen athletes (mean age 20.5 years, ~18.6 hr…
The Role of Muscle Mass in Endurance Performance and Neuromuscular Fatigue
Introduction This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the impact of active muscle mass — specifically, single-limb versus double-limb exercise — on endurance performance and neuromuscular fatigue. Data from 19 studies (17 included in the meta-analysis) revealed a key distinction: These…
Re-thinking head injury prevention in football: The role of tactics and technique
Introduction Head injuries in football remain a growing concern, yet traditional prevention methods primarily focus on neuromuscular training and strength conditioning. While these approaches play an important role, they often overlook the specific match scenarios where most head injuries occur.…
Exercise Therapy for Low Back Pain: Evidence, Benefits, and Clinical Recommendations
Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common and costly musculoskeletal conditions globally. This umbrella review brings together findings from 70 systematic reviews—43 of which include meta-analyses—to evaluate the benefits and risks of exercise therapy and physical activity…
New insights on mind-muscle connection: motor imagery concomitant to actual resistance training enhances force performance
Motor imagery (MI), the mental simulation of a movement without physical execution, has long been used to improve performance. While most studies focus on isometric contractions in lab settings, this study tested a novel approach: combining MI with the actual…
What Is “Zone 2 Training”?: Experts’ Viewpoint on Definition, Training Methods, and Expected Adaptations
Endurance athletes and coaches have long debated the most effective training intensities for maximizing performance. Recently, Zone 2 training has gained attention as a foundational component of endurance programs, yet definitions and implementation strategies vary. While many propose that Zone…
Athlete Mental Health and Well-being During the Transition into Elite Sport: Strategies to Prepare the System
The transition into elite-level sport can expose young athletes to risk factors for mental ill-health, including increased performance expectations, stressors associated with becoming increasingly public figures, and changes in lifestyle demands, such as diet, training loads and sleep. Successful integration…
Mental fortitude training: An evidence-based approach to developing psychological resilience for sustained success.
Drawing on the body of knowledge in this area, this article presents an evidence-based approach to developing psychological resilience for sustained success. To this end, the narrative is divided into three main sections. The first section describes the construct of…
Research methods in sport and exercise psychology: quantitative and qualitative issues
Contemporary aspects of research methods in sport and exercise psychology are discussed in this wide-ranging review. After an introduction centred on trends in sport and exercise psychology methods, the review is organized around the major themes of quantitative and qualitative…
Health psychology: mapping biobehavioral contributions to health and illness
Our evolving understanding of how psychosocial and behavioral factors affect health and disease processes has been marked by investigation of specific relationships and mechanisms underlying them. Stress and other emotional responses are components of complex interactions of genetic, physiological, behavioral,…
Consideration of Mental Health and Well-Being in High-Level Sport: When Will a Coach-Centered Approach Be Introduced?
In recent years, the conversation surrounding mental health in sports has primarily focused on athletes, with much less attention paid to the well-being of coaches. However, a growing body of research is beginning to highlight the significant stressors faced by…
How Can We Make Research More Relevant for Sport Practice?
Contrasting Approaches in Research: Sport scientists often design studies that compare different training methods or models (e.g., interval vs. continuous exercise, polarized vs. pyramidal intensity distribution). These studies tend to conclude that one method is superior, but leading practitioners view…
Judgement and Decision Making in Clinical and Return-to-Sports Decision Making: A Narrative Review
When deciding if an athlete is ready to return to sports after an injury, clinicians face a complex challenge. This process involves not only assessing the physical healing of the athlete but also considering their mental readiness and social factors.…
Aligning categories of mental health conditions with intervention types in high-performance sports: A narrative cornerstone review and classification framework
In recent years, the mental health of high-performance athletes has garnered increased attention, challenging long-held beliefs about their psychological resilience. However, the lack of consensus on how to define and classify mental health conditions in this context has led to…
Mental Health In Elite Athletes: Increased Awareness Requires An Early Intervention Framework to Respond to Athlete Needs
The current ‘state of play’ in supporting elite athlete mental health and wellbeing has centred mostly on building mental health literacy or awareness of the signs of mental ill-health amongst athletes. Such awareness is necessary, but not sufficient to address…
Occurrence of mental health symptoms and disorders in current and former elite athletes: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Objectives To present an overview of the existing epidemiological evidence regarding the occurrence of mental health symptoms and disorders among current and former elite athletes. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources Five electronic databases were searched from inception to…
Mental health in elite athletes: International Olympic Committee consensus statement
Mental health symptoms and disorders are common among elite athletes, may have sport related manifestations within this population and impair performance. Mental health cannot be separated from physical health, as evidenced by mental health symptoms and disorders increasing the risk…
A systematic review of interventions to increase awareness of mental health and well-being in athletes, coaches and officials
Background: The aim of the current study was to conduct a systematic review determining the effect of sport-specific mental health awareness programs to improve mental health knowledge and help-seeking among sports coaches, athletes and officials. The second aim was to…
Barriers and facilitators to mental health help-seeking for young elite athletes: a qualitative study
Abstract Background: Adolescents and young adults experience a high level of mental disorders, yet tend not to seek help. Research indicates that there are many barriers and facilitators to help-seeking for young people in the general community. However there are limited…
Monitoring Readiness to Train and Perform in Female Football: Current Evidence and Recommendations for Practitioners
The latest research on women’s football delves into readiness monitoring and the menstrual cycle’s impact on performance. It emphasizes the need for a balanced approach, combining objective metrics like heart rate with subjective measures such as athlete-reported outcome measures (AROM).…
Intraindividual variability in sleep among athletes: A systematic review of definitions, operationalizations, and key correlates.
Examining the landscape of sleep variability among athletes, a systematic review was conducted to delve into how researchers have conceptualized and investigated these fluctuations in sleep patterns. This comprehensive analysis, spanning 16 studies, highlights the varied approaches and limitations in…
Addressing mental health needs of NCAA student-athletes of colour: foundational concepts from the NCAA Summit on Diverse Student-Athlete Mental Health and Well-Being
We sought to identify concepts that may facilitate National Collegiate Athletic Association efforts to assist member institutions in addressing the mental health needs of student-athletes of colour. A two-step process was followed to generate and refine concepts, guided by Delphi…
Systematic Review of the Health Benefits of Physical Activity and Fitness in School-Aged Children and Youth
Background: The purpose was to: 1) perform a systematic review of studies examining the relation between physical activity, fitness, and health in school-aged children and youth, and 2) make recommendations based on the findings.Methods: The systematic review was limited to…
Benefits and Challenges Associated With Sport Participation by Children and Parents From Low-Income Families
The first purpose of this study was to examine low-income parents’ and their children’s perceptions of the benefits associated with participation in youth sport. The second purpose was to examine parents’ perceptions of the challenges associated with providing their children…
Bearing Bodies: Physical Activity, Obesity Stigma, and Sexuality in the Bear Community
In recent years, individuals who do not conform to healthiest body shape and weight norms are the target of an increasingly fervent moral panic about “obesity” (Gard & Wright, 2005). As a subculture within the gay male community (Wright, 1997a),…
Anabolic Steroids in the UK: An Increasing Issue for Public Health
Aim: The aim of the paper was to identify changes in the extent and patterns of anabolic steroid use in the United Kingdom to better understand the public health implications within the context of the current health-related evidence base. Methods:…
An Assessment of the Dynamic of Religious Ritualism in Sporting Environments
The main focus of this study is the analysis of the link between sport, leisure and the behavior, and phenomenon of religion. From the qualitative point of view of social anthropology, fieldwork has been carried out with different informers from…
“You Should See me on the Inside”: Researching the Post-Stroke Mental Health of a Male Professor of Sport
This research note offers an original contribution to methodological discussion qua mental health, and associated emotionality, within the workplace of sport academia. Our1 focus is the poststroke mental health of a male sociology of sport professor, and discussions are divided…
They Need to Learn to Take it on the Chin: Exploring the Emotional Labour of Student Volunteers in a Sports-Based Outreach Project in the Northeast of England
This research explores the emotional labour of university students whilst volunteering on the Sport Universities North East England (SUNEE) sports-based outreach project. Using data from semi-structured interviews with students (n = 40) this paper draws on the work of Arlie…
Where are the Kids?
Huge numbers of children participate in sports. However, kids and sports are rarely seen, much less systematically studied by sport sociologists. Our survey of the past decade of three major sport sociology journals illustrates a dearth of scholarly research on…
Update on Banned Substances 2013
Context: Doping has been pervasive throughout the history of athletic competitions and has only recently been regulated by organizations such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). These regulatory bodies…
Transformational Leadership and Well-being in Sports: The Mediating Role of Need Satisfaction
The present study examined the direct and indirect effect of coaches’ transformational leadership on athlete well-being. Participants were 184 floorball players who completed questionnaires about perceived transformational leadership from their coach, need satisfaction, and sport-related well-being. The analysis revealed positive…
The Mental Health of Elite Athletes: A Narrative Systematic Review
Background The physical impacts of elite sport participation have been well documented; however, there is comparatively less research on the mental health and psychological wellbeing of elite athletes. Objective This review appraises the evidence base regarding the mental health and…
The Life of High-Level Athletes: The Challenge of High Performance Against the Time Constraint
The conditions for high performance have changed considerably over the last few years. Athletes must spend more time training and competing, devote a lot of time to mental, physical and nutritional professionals and continue to respond to some constraints such…
The Healthy Body Paradox: Organizational and Interactional Influences on Preadolescent Girls’ Body Image in Los Angeles
In this article, we present paradoxical findings from a formative evaluation research project that explores how preadolescent girls understand and feel about their bodies after participating in “Girls on the Run of Los Angeles County”(GOTR LA), a girl-serving positive youth…
Suicide in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Athletes: A 9-Year Analysis of the NCAA Resolutions Database
Background: The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has recently highlighted mental health concerns in student athletes, though the incidence of suicide among NCAA athletes is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of suicide among NCAA…
Sport, Physical Activity and Well-being: An Objectivist Account
It is widely maintained that sport and physical activities contribute to the development of young people’s well-being. Others argue that sports’ contribution to good living is so strong that it is even thought to be a human right. Typically, however,…
Small-sided Games for Young Athletes: Is Game Specificity Influential?
This study aimed to quantify and compare the physiological, physical and technical demands of a sport-specific and non-sport-specific small-sided game (SSG) in young athletes. Ten male soccer players (mean ± SD: age, 13.0 ± 0.3 years, O2peak, 54.4 ± 4.9…
Slim to Win: An Ethnodrama of Three Elite swimmers’ ‘Presentation of Self’ in Relation to a Dominant Cultural Ideology
Ethnodrama combined with Goffman’s ‘presentation of self’ is used to explore three elite swimmers’ ‘presentation of self’ in relation to the dominant ideology of ‘slim to win’. The ‘presentation of self’ of three swimmers is presented and analyzed according to…
Self-concept Organisation and Mental Toughness in Sport
The present study examines the relationship between individual differences in evaluative self-organisation and mental toughness in sport, proposing that motivation and emotional resiliency (facets of mental toughness) stem from differences in core self. A cross-sectional assessment of 105 athletes competing…
Seeking Spirituality Through Physicality in Schools: Learning from ‘Eastern Movement Forms
This paper argues that we might learn from the ways in which Eastern movement forms with a self-cultivation focus approach the development of spirituality through physicality. It also argues that these movement forms have potential to assist in the development…
Poor Teaching by the Coach: A Phenomenological Description from Athletes’ Experience of Poor Coaching
Background: Winning and losing have consistently been used as one criterion upon which to evaluate coaches. Since winning coaches have long been thought of as knowledgeable and effective at providing instruction, researchers have often studied coaches who have obtained a…
Place disparities in supportive environments for extracurricular physical activity in North Carolina middle schools.
Disadvantaged rural youth may be especially at risk for obesity and poorer health due to physical inactivity. Research suggests that extracurricular school programs can increase physical activity for this population. This study sought to determine whether local differences existed in…
Physical literacy in the United States: A model, strategic plan, and call to action.
Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and with guidance from a 15-member, cross-sector working group, this report offers a deep dive into the central idea behind Project Play. It builds on research showing that children with motor skills competence…
Physical and sports activities, and healthy and active ageing: Establishing a frame of reference for public action.
Since the 1960s, there has been a change in the portrayal of older people. This change has resulted in the promotion of an active way of life that led, at the turn of the twenty-first century, to the development by…
Physical activity experiences of young people in an area of disadvantage: ‘There’s nothing there for big kids, like us’
Through an examination of the experiences of young people in one disadvantaged area, this paper adds to an emerging body of knowledge focused on what place physical activity occupies in the lives of young people in areas of disadvantage. A…
Mind, body and sport: Understanding and supporting student-athlete mental wellness.
When I began my tenure as NCAA Chief Medical Officer in January 2013, my first task was to connect with NCAA stakeholders and constituents to understand their concerns. I have since met with hundreds of student-athletes and dozens of student-athlete…
Mental Health Referral for Student-Athletes: Web-Based Education and Training
Physically and mentally healthy student-athletes are in a good position to thrive academically, socially, and athletically. Unfortunately, many student-athletes fail to get the mental health help they need due to factors such as lack of knowledge and mental health stigma.…
Life in the Travelling Circus: A Study of Loneliness, Work Stress, and Money Issues in Touring Professional Golf
This article examines the effects of globalization on the well-being of migrant professional athletes. Interviews with 20 touring professional golfers reveal that players experience many of the personal problems—such as loneliness, isolation, low decision latitude, low social support, and effort-reward…
Leading Their Flocks to Health? Clergy Health and the Role of Clergy in Faith-Based Health Promotion Interventions
Faith-based organizations are a frequent partner in health promotion due to their large and expansive reach across multiple demographics of the United States. These faith-based organizations are led by clergy members who have a strong influence over their institutions and…
ISSP Position Stand: Culturally competent research and practice in sport and exercise psychology
The multicultural landscape of contemporary sport sets a challenge to rethink sport and exercise psychology research and practice through a culturally reflexive lens. This ISSP Position Stand provides a rigorous synthesis and engagement with existing scholarship to outline a roadmap…
Holistic Life-Span Health Outcomes Among Elite Intercollegiate Student-Athletes
Competitive sports are recognized as having unique health benefits and risks, and the effect of sports on lifespan health among elite athletes has received increasing attention. However, supporting scientific data are sparse and do not represent modern athletes. To assess…
Health and Wellness Programming on Faith-Based Organizations: A description of a nationwide sample
Introduction. Most of the U.S. population is affiliated with faith-based organizations (FBOs) and regularly attends services. Health and wellness activities (HWA) delivered through FBOs have great potential for reach, but the number of FBOs offering health programs and the characteristics…
Health and the running body: Notes from an ethnography
This article aims to develop one of the major themes from an ethnographic study of the culture of distance running – the desire for health and fitness. Research was undertaken over a 2-year period using a variety of flexible qualitative…
Fractured Understanding of Mindfulness: A Response to Clarifying the Mindfulness Muddle
We thank Glass et al. (2020) for their response to our book review of their work (Wilson & Gearity, 2020) and welcome this opportunity for greater dialogue. We find that our differences lay more in accordance with our varying purposes…
Exploring the relationship between hope and burnout in competitive sport
Researchers have postulated that hope may be an important factor associated with burnout. Consistent with hope theory contentions, low-hope individuals may be susceptible to burnout because they are prone to experience goal blockage, frustration, and negative affect, all of which…
Emerging Supplements in Sports
Context: Nutritional supplements advertised as ergogenic are commonly used by athletes at all levels. Health care professionals have an opportunity and responsibility to counsel athletes concerning the safety and efficacy of supplements on the market. Evidence Acquisition: An Internet search…
Cutting Through the Mindfulness Muddle: A Book Review of Three Popular Mindfulness Interventions
Research shows numerous positive psychological benefits from mindful- ness-based interventions, including psychological flexibility, acute aware- ness, cognitive diffusion, and attentional control (Jekauc, Kittler, & Schlagheck, 2016). Mental skills consultants, coaches, and athletes face the dilemma of making sense of the…
Consequences of Repeated Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption in Football Players
The acknowledgement of risks for traumatic brain injury in American football players has prompted studies for sideline concussion diagnosis and testing for neurological deficits. While concussions are recognized etiological factors for a spectrum of neurological sequelae, the consequences of sub-concussive…
Concussion Incidence and Return-To-Play Time in National Basketball Association Players. Results from 2006 to 2014
Background: Various research efforts have studied concussions in the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and the National Hockey League. However, no study has investigated the incidence and return-to-play trends in the National Basketball Association (NBA), which this study aims…
Community Trial of a Faith-Based Lifestyle Intervention to Prevent Diabetes Among African-Americans
About 75 % of African-Americans (AAs) ages 20 or older are overweight and nearly 50 % are obese, but community-based programs to reduce diabetes risk in AAs are rare. Our objective was to reduce weight and fasting plasma glucose (FPG)…
Clarifying the Mindfulness Muddle: A Response to Wilson and Gearity’s Book review of Three Popular Mindfulness Interventions
We were all initially thrilled to see the book review by Wilson and Gearity (2020) comparing our approaches (the Mindfulness-Acceptance- Commitment [MAC] approach – Gardner & Moore, 2007; Mindfulness Meditation Training in Sport [MMTS] – Baltzell & Summers, 2018; Mindful…
Churches as Targets for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: Comparison of Genes, Nutrition, Exercise, Wellness and Spiritual Growth (GoodNEWS) and Dallas County Populations
Background We compared cardiovascular (CV) risk factors (CVRFs) of community-based participatory research (CBPR) participants with the community population to better understand how CBPR participants relate to the population as a whole. Methods Good News Participants in 20 African-American churches in…
Branded Fitness: Exercise and Promotional Culture
This article develops a theory of branded fitness within the United States through a focus on two of its most visible examples: CrossFit and Bikram yoga. We argue that highly successful forms of branded fitness such as these give insight…
Body Mass Index and Percentage of Body Fat as Indicators for Obesity in an Adolescent Athletic Population
Background: Body mass index (BMI) is widely accepted in determining obesity. Skinfold thickness measurements have been commonly used to determine percentage of body fat. Hypothesis: The authors hypothesize that because BMI does not measure fat directly but relies on body…
Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology
The leading textbook in sport and exercise psychology is back in a revised seventh edition, and it again raises the bar with its engaging introduction to the field. Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Seventh Edition With Web Study Guide,…
The Enlightenment’s ‘Race’ Problem, and Ours
In 1734, Anton Wilhelm Amo, a West African student and former chamber slave of Duke Anton Ulrich of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, defended a philosophy dissertation at the University of Halle in Saxony, written in Latin and entitled “On the Impassivity of the…
The Benefits of Physical Activity
Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Being physically active can improve your brain health, help manage weight, reduce the risk of disease, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve your ability…