Key Topics in Sports Psychology

128 Pages·2022·6.748 MB·English

by  Springer Behavioral & Health Sciences

Key Topics in Behavioral Sciences
Key Topics in
Sports Psychology
Key Topics in Behavioral Sciences
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Springer Behavioral & Health Sciences

Key Topics in Sports
Psychology
Springer Behavioral & Health Sciences
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ISSN 2731-9067
Key Topics in Behavioral Sciences
ISBN 978-3-031-19925-7

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Foreword
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v
Contents
Foreword................................................................................................................................ v
Tackling Mental Health in Youth Sporting Programs:
A Pilot Study of a Holistic Program ...................................................................................... 1
T. L. Dowell, A. M. Waters, W. Usher, L. J. Farrell, C. L. Donovan, K. L. Modecki,
M. J. Zimmer‑Gembeck, M. Castle, and J. Hinchey: Child Psychiatry & Human
Development 2020, 2021: 52:15–29 (3, April 2020)
DOI 10.1007/s10578-020-00984-9

Feedback, Sport-Confidence and Performance of Lacrosse Skills ................................... 17
A. Gagnon-Dolbec, S. J. McKelvie, and J. Eastwood: Curr Psychol 2017, 2019: 38:
1622–1633 (20, October 2017) DOI 10.1007/s12144-017-9720-7

Can Participation in a Community Organized Football Program Improve
Social, Behavioural Functioning and Communication in Children
with Autism Spectrum Disorder? A Pilot Study ................................................................ 29
K. Howells, C. Sivaratnam, E. Lindor, C. Hyde, J. McGillivray, A. Whitehouse,
and N. Rinehart: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 2020, 2020:
50:3714–3727 (27, February 2020) DOI 10.1007/s10803-020-04423-5

Assessing the Social Validity of a Telepractice Training
and Coaching Intervention .................................................................................................. 43
M. Y. Chung, H. Meadan, M. R. Snodgrass, R. E. Hacker, M. M. Sands, N. B. Adams,
and S. S. Johnston: Journal of Behavioral Education 2020, 2020: 29:382–408
(13, February 2020) DOI 10.1007/s10864-020-09372-8

Examining the effects of negative performance feedback: the roles of sadness,
feedback self-efficacy, and grit ............................................................................................ 71
D. Motro, D. R. Comer, and J. A. Lenaghan: Journal of Business and Psychology
2020, 2021: 36:367–382 (13, March 2020)
DOI 10.1007/s10869-020-09689-1
Who Wants to Play? Sport Motivation Trajectories, Sport Participation,
and the Development of Depressive Symptoms .................................................................. 87
M. -T. Wang, A. Chow, and J. Amemiya: J Youth Adolescence 2017, 2017:
46:1982–1998 (15, March 2017) DOI 10.1007/s10964-017-0649-9

Fear of Negative Evaluation and Weight/Shape Concerns among Adolescents:
The Moderating Effects of Gender and Weight Status ................................................... 105
N. Trompeter, K. Bussey, P. Hay, J. Mond, S. B. Murray, A. Lonergan, S. Griffiths,
K. Pike, and D. Mitchison: Journal of Youth and Adolescence 2018, 2018:
47:1398–1408 (29, May 2018) DOI 10.1007/s10964-018-0872-z

Mindfulness Enhances Change in Athletes’ Well-being: the Mediating Role
of Basic Psychological Needs Fulfillment .......................................................................... 117
W. H. Chang, J. -H. Chang, and L. H. Chen: Mindfulness 2017, 2018: 9:815–823
(9 October 2017) DOI 10.1007/s12671-017-0821-z
vii
Child Psychiatry & Human Development (2021) 52:15–29
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-020-00984-9
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Tackling Mental Health in Youth Sporting Programs: A Pilot Study
of a Holistic Program
Tiah L. Dowell1 · Allison M. Waters1 · Wayne Usher1 · Lara J. Farrell1 · Caroline L. Donovan1 · Kathryn L. Modecki1 ·
Melanie J. Zimmer‑Gembeck1 · Mike Castle2 · James Hinchey2
Published online: 3 April 2020
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract
Linking mental health services to organised sport offers an avenue to identify and improve mental health among adolescents.
In this study, we investigated the efficacy, acceptability and feasibility of an integrated mental health system embedded within
a junior sports development program. A three-step integrated mental health program for 12- to 15-year-old rugby league
players (N = 74) was delivered in urban (n = 44) and rural (n = 33) areas. Specifically, this system (a) assessed participant
mental health on primary outcome measures of anxiety, depression, and anger/conduct problems (and secondary outcome
measures of personal attributes and relationships), (b) provided feedback to participants, parents and program coordinators,
and (c) connected participants and parents to a multi-component intervention including online resources, a group-based
workshop program (4 × 30-min sessions), and tailored individual-level follow-up and referral to further care for participants
at high risk of mental health problems. From pre- to post-program, boys’ anxiety symptoms declined significantly (with
only a trend-level reduction in depression), and there were significant improvements in grit (for urban boys only), efficacy to
manage negative emotions, and prosocial behaviour. In addition, when boys reported symptoms associated with high risk for
mental health problems, providing parents with feedback enhanced boys’ access to care and was associated with significant
declines in anxiety symptoms. The program was generally acceptable and feasible, with very high retention in the youth
sports development program. Overall, early findings support further deployment and evaluation of integrated mental health
systems embedded within sporting contexts to address mental health problems among adolescent boys.
Keywords Mental health · Youth · Organised sport
Introduction
young males are slightly more at risk than females (15.9%
compared to 12.8%) [4]. Suicide is the leading cause of
Mental Health is among the single most critical issue faced death for people aged 15–24 in both Australia and the UK
by young people globally [1]. In the US, 49.5% of youth met [5, 6] and is the second leading cause of death in the US
criteria for a lifetime mental disorder, with 27.6% of these for this age group [7]. These mental health problems carry
reporting severe impairment [2]. In the UK, 12.8% of young heavy personal, social, and economic burden. Illustratively,
people met criteria for a mental disorder [3], and similar in the US and Australia youth mental health disorders are
rates are reported in Australia, where 14% of all adolescents estimated to cost governments more than $10 billion each
have been diagnosed with a mental health problem, and year [8, 9]. Given most mental disorders have their onset
during adolescence [10], early detection and intervention are
of vital importance to prevent lifelong recurrence and signif-
* Tiah L. Dowell icant impairment [11]. Further, rising rates of mental health
[email protected] issues in adolescence are forecasted to lead to unprecedented
* Allison M. Waters demands for services, further highlighting that investment in
[email protected] prevention and early intervention is of vital importance [1].
Current research indicates that the high prevalence of
1 School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University,
mental health issues among boys and young men is grossly
Mount Gravatt, Australia
disproportionate to the services they access; young men are
2 National Rugby League, Sydney, Australia
Chapter 1 was originally published as Dowell, T. L., Waters, A. M., Usher, W., Farrell, L. J., Donovan, C. L., Modecki, K. L., Zimmer‑Gembeck, M. J.,
Castle, M. & Hinchey, J. Child Psychiatry & Human Development (2021) 52: 15–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-020-00984-9.
Reprinted from the journal 1 1 3
Child Psychiatry & Human Development (2021) 52:15–29
the least likely subgroup to seek help for mental health con- ‘life skills’ for managing hardships [28]. While competen-
cerns [12]. For instance, data from the UK indicated that cies are helpful and important for assisting young people
21.8% of young males likely to experience mental distress as they manage the challenges of adolescence and young
had sought help (compared to 34.8% of young females) [13]. adulthood, they cannot fully speak to the underlying prob-
Similarly, Australian data indicated that only 13% of young lems associated with mental health struggles [29, 30]. That
men aged 16 to 24 years who were experiencing clinically said, early findings suggest that relative to control groups,
significant mental health symptoms accessed care compared recipients of such wellbeing programs report improvements
to 33% of young women over a 12-month period [14]. More- in prosocial values [31], emotion regulation skills, social
over, there is good evidence that boys, relative to girls, begin skills, perceived academic competence [32], and self-beliefs
to disconnect from accessing health care services during related to goal-setting and problem-solving [33]. Again,
adolescence [15], and furthermore, sustain poor health care however, while useful in speaking to the importance of posi-
utilisation relative to women throughout adulthood [16]. tive youth development strategies [34, 35], these programs
The disparity between boys mental health risk and service have not focused on mental health problems (e.g., anxiety,
utilisation indicates a clear need to improve the accessibil- depression, anger, conduct problems) as target outcomes,
ity and acceptability of their mental health services [17]. nor their associated mechanisms for intervention content.
In doing so, it is important to consider underlying reasons Those very few studies that have done so have either lacked
for these disparities in health care access. Research con- adequate control conditions and valid measures, failed to
sistently indicates that common barriers to boys and young report effect sizes, and/or demonstrated a high risk of bias
men’s help seeking align with themes of masculinity, such [see 36 for review).
as difficulty showing vulnerability and gender-based stigma
[18]. Not surprisingly, then, a recent review of young men’s
wellbeing programs found that male-targeted interventions
Tailored Interventions
tended to be more beneficial than gender-neutral programs
[19]. Here, Gwyther and colleagues concluded that boys may
be more likely to value programs in which information is Young people participating in organised settings, includ-
specifically tailored to their needs and that includes male ing sports, arguably have varied needs in relation to their
role-models and well-known athletes who can normalise wellbeing and mental health. As a result, interventions that
communication about emotional concerns [20]. are delivered within a specific organised setting, including
Given shortcomings in existing services found globally, sports, should ideally be tailored to meet individual needs
one productive approach for enhancing mental health behav- within the constraints of their setting and the availability
iours among boys is to integrate mental health and well- of suitably trained staff and resources. Moreover, research-
being strategies within normative contexts in which they ers advocating for mental health programs in the context
participate, such as organised sports [21]. Participation in of youths’ activity settings, including sporting contexts,
sport plays a central role in the lifestyle of children and ado- have emphasised the importance of intervening at multiple
lescents, especially boys [22, 23]. More specifically, within levels of influence (e.g., individual, parental, community)
the Australian context, more than 66% of boys report engag- based on the needs of each individual [37, 38]. There-
ing in organised sport each year, for up to eight hours or fore, interventions delivered within this context need to
more per week [24]. Moreover, qualitative research indicates be scalable and flexible. Helpfully, modular psychotherapy
that adolescent boys perceive organised sport to be a more protocols offer one way to achieve this, by providing a
engaging context than school for supporting mental health structured approach to tailoring treatment to young peo-
[25], and sport clubs to be important networks for supporting ple’s needs. Modular treatment strategies are presented
young people and their families more generally [26]. as a series of free-standing, evidence-based modules that
Despite the potential for organised sports to serve as a can be altered in terms of sequencing and format (e.g.
critical access point for receiving intervention, including face-to-face, online, telephone-based) and can be delivered
mental health services, this idea has not yet been imple- multiple times or not at all. For example, all individuals
mented in an organized nor broad scale. Illustratively, a may receive a set of core modules that are likely to be of
recent review indicated that only 11% of sports organisations benefit to the group, and selected individuals may receive
in the Australian context offer campaigns that target player additional unique modules based on their individual needs
mental health and wellbeing in general [27]. Moreover, pro- [see 39]. Modular interventions have been found to signifi-
grams to date have primarily had a broader focus on general cantly outperform usual care in instances where empiri-
wellbeing rather than mental health problems. That is, early cally supported treatments have not at post-intervention
programs have generally concentrated on helping young peo- and at 2-year-follow-up [40, 41]. Notably, the flexibility
ple to build on their strengths and competencies and acquire provided by modular interventions also allows for greater
1 3 2 Reprinted from the journal
Child Psychiatry & Human Development (2021) 52:15–29
collaboration between relevant stakeholders and increases gendered social and environmental determinants of health
the likelihood that evidence-based treatments will translate [19, 20].
effectively into different service contexts [42].
Specific to a sport setting, providing a variety of interven-
The Current Study
tion modalities offers another way to achieve flexibility and
reach multiple sources of influence on young people’s men-
tal health (e.g., coaches, parents, players). This may include All told, the research to date suggests that youth settings,
low intensity modalities for delivering module content, such including sport organizations, offer strong potential as an
as telephone communication, computer-delivered resources, effective context for enhancing mental health among ado-
and print resources, and high intensity modalities such as lescent boys. Emerging evidence has converged on the view
short or long duration individual or group-based programs that programs could be of greater benefit if they (a) tailor
with a mental health professional, referrals to specialists, or the content of these programs to the needs and interests of
engagement in multi-module approaches [e.g., 43, 44, 45]. young males, (b) include an integrated, multi-component
It is worth noting that this provision of an intervention approach to intervention, (c) use collaborative teams to co-
approach tailored to young people’s needs and settings fur- design and deliver program content, and (d) evaluate this
ther requires the reliable assessment of mental health and approach effectively. The aim of the present study was to
wellbeing outcomes and the timely provision of user-friendly address these gaps by conducting a preliminary evaluation
feedback to relevant stakeholder roles within the service of the efficacy, acceptability and feasibility of an integrated
provision model (i.e., individual, parental, organisational). system targeting player mental health embedded within an
Drawing upon studies in school contexts, universal screening organised sport setting for boys, a junior development pro-
and feedback regarding youth mental health is increasingly gram for 12- to 15-year-old male rugby league players.
being implemented by education administrators and deemed Rugby league is a highly popular sport in Australia, with
to be acceptable and helpful by parents [46, 47]. However, more than 116,490 boys participating between ages 5 to
this approach is only sustainable in the presence of stake- 18 years of age in 2018 [51]. Given the sports’ popularity,
holder partnerships between youth organisations and mental the National Rugby League (NRL) in collaboration with the
health professionals in the development and implementation present research team, comprised a RISE Development Pro-
of holistic wellbeing programs that include mental health. gram for junior rugby league players, which was developed
One evidenced-based approach for creating a sustainable within a community-based participatory research frame-
partnership to assist youth in their natural settings, is the work, and focuses on holistic player development. A key
use of a community-based participatory framework [48, feature of this development program includes youths’ men-
49]. This widely used framework involves all partners in tal health and wellbeing, and involves a multi-component
the research process and recognises the unique strengths approach, tailored based on the assessment of group and
that each brings to the project including access to shared individual needs. At the broadest level, this involved the
resources, knowledge, and expertise [50]. Of course, the cen- provision of emailed print resources to all players, parents/
tral purpose underpinning community-based participatory carers, coaches and officials. A sequence of four modules
approaches is for key stakeholders (researchers and com- were delivered face-to-face with all players in small groups
munity members) to work together to define the problem and at each site. These modules were selected in collaboration
research methods, implement the research, disseminate the with the RISE team to ensure that they aligned with the
findings, and apply them in practice. What makes commu- values and goals of the program. Finally, individual refer-
nity-based participatory frameworks especially salient in this ral services were provided for players identified as being
context, is that this approach affords the opportunity to tailor at high-risk of mental illness based on their self-reports
service provision to take account of context-specific fac- of anxiety, depression, and/or anger/conduct problems at
tors, which in sporting contexts for boys, can include stigma pre-assessment.
about mental health, preserving player confidentiality, and The current study provides feasibility and proof-of-
strongly held masculine stereotypes that discourage emo- concept from the pilot investigation of the RISE program
tional disclosure and vulnerability [e.g., 18]. Close collabo- outcome data. The first aim was to examine mental health
ration between mental health experts and those individuals outcomes and program acceptability in 12- to 15-year-old
leading and organizing sports also increases the likelihood adolescent boys who participated in RISE within an urban
that interventions within these contexts are developed based vs. a rural setting. The second aim was to describe imple-
on up-to-date evidence as well as include key ingredients mentation feasibility, defined in terms of participant attri-
for enhancing boys’ engagement in mental health pro- tion, obstacles, and challenges. It was hypothesised that
grams, such as the inclusion of relevant male role models the primary outcome measures of anxiety, depression and
and mentors, anti-stigma interventions, and consideration of anger/conduct problems would reduce significantly from
Reprinted from the journal 3 1 3