Jane Holden, Christopher R D Wagstaff, Ross Wadey, Peter Brown
{"title":"Exploring the barriers to athlete personal development within UK Olympic and Paralympic sport.","authors":"Jane Holden, Christopher R D Wagstaff, Ross Wadey, Peter Brown","doi":"10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102966","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102966","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>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.</p>","PeriodicalId":94181,"journal":{"name":"Psychology of sport and exercise","volume":" ","pages":"102966"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144801335","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vasco Bastos, Panteleimon Ekkekakis, Ana Jesus Andrade, Diogo Santos Teixeira
{"title":"The peak and end rule, affect-related cognitions, enjoyment, and exercise frequency: A randomized controlled trial ancillary study.","authors":"Vasco Bastos, Panteleimon Ekkekakis, Ana Jesus Andrade, Diogo Santos Teixeira","doi":"10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102963","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102963","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>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.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>This study was based on a randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups. Forty-six non-regular exercisers (M<sub>age</sub> = 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).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>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).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>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.</p>","PeriodicalId":94181,"journal":{"name":"Psychology of sport and exercise","volume":" ","pages":"102963"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144762894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paolo M Cunha, Leandro Dos Santos, Fabian Herold, Pamela Castro-E-Silva, Yanxia Chen, Yu-Bu Wang, Vanessa Santos-Melo, Edilaine Fungari Cavalcante, Luís Alves de Lima, Silvana Cardoso de Souza, Liye Zou, Brendon Stubbs, Felipe B Schuch, Edilson S Cyrino
{"title":"Impact of resistance training on sleep quality, mental health, and functional capacity in older women with varying baseline sleep quality: A randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Paolo M Cunha, Leandro Dos Santos, Fabian Herold, Pamela Castro-E-Silva, Yanxia Chen, Yu-Bu Wang, Vanessa Santos-Melo, Edilaine Fungari Cavalcante, Luís Alves de Lima, Silvana Cardoso de Souza, Liye Zou, Brendon Stubbs, Felipe B Schuch, Edilson S Cyrino","doi":"10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102968","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102968","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>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.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>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.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>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).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>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.</p>","PeriodicalId":94181,"journal":{"name":"Psychology of sport and exercise","volume":" ","pages":"102968"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144818943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Positive Peer Relationships, Social Identity, and Adaptive Sport Motivation in Youth Athletes.","authors":"Justin T Worley, Alan L Smith","doi":"10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102996","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102996","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Organized sport provides youth with the opportunity to form interpersonal relationships and derive part of their identity from sport team membership. Though identities are negotiated within the context of interpersonal relationships, little research has examined how peer relationships may associate with athletes' social identity and downstream sport motivation. The purpose of this study was to examine whether positive peer relationships were associated with adaptive sport motivation by way of athlete social identity. High school athletes (N = 202, female n = 121, M<sub>age</sub> = 16.1 years, SD<sub>age</sub> = 1.3 years) completed established measures of friendship quality and peer acceptance, social identity (cognitive centrality, ingroup affect), and sport enjoyment, enthusiastic sport commitment, and autonomous motivation. Observed path analysis showed neither friendship quality nor peer acceptance was directly associated with enthusiastic sport commitment, sport enjoyment, nor autonomous motivation. Friendship quality was positively associated with cognitive centrality (β = 0.30) and ingroup affect (β = 0.20), and peer acceptance was positively associated with ingroup affect (β = 0.25). In turn, cognitive centrality was positively associated with enthusiastic sport commitment (β = 0.21) and autonomous motivation (β = 0.24). Ingroup affect was positively associated with enthusiastic sport commitment (β = 0.42), sport enjoyment (β = 0.55), and autonomous motivation (β = 0.46). The pattern of indirect effects was partially aligned with expectations. Results suggest that the motivational importance of peer relationships may, in part, operate through features of athletes' identification with their sport team.</p>","PeriodicalId":94181,"journal":{"name":"Psychology of sport and exercise","volume":" ","pages":"102996"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145056480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Corrigendum to \"Optimizing exercise for perinatal depressive symptoms: A network meta-analysis of effective modalities and doses\" [Psychology of Sport & Exercise 82 (2025) 102980.","authors":"Jingyi Xie, Mingyuan Jin, Bin Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102992","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102992","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":94181,"journal":{"name":"Psychology of sport and exercise","volume":" ","pages":"102992"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145042881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pei-Ju Tsai, Hao-Chien Cheng, Tsung-Min Hung, Ting-Yu Lin
{"title":"Comparing Positive Rates in Traditional Articles and Registered Reports within Sport and Exercise Science: A Stage 2 Registered Report.","authors":"Pei-Ju Tsai, Hao-Chien Cheng, Tsung-Min Hung, Ting-Yu Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102995","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102995","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This Stage 2 registered report analyzed the rates at which hypotheses were supported in registered reports versus traditional publications within sport and exercise science. A title and abstract search using the term \"registered report*\" conducted in late 2024 yielded 4,235 records from PubMed and 1,011 from Scopus. After removing duplicates, 4,693 records were screened, and 14 full texts were reviewed independently by two authors. Ten registered reports that included at least one hypothesis were identified, resulting in 41 hypotheses. By matching journal and publication year, 59 traditional articles were selected, yielding 162 hypotheses. When restricted to the first hypothesis, as in prior research, the support rates were 70% for registered reports and 86% for traditional articles, a marginally significant difference (p = .095). When all hypotheses were included, the support rates were 54% and 79% for registered reports and traditional publications, respectively-a statistically significant difference (p < .001). These findings provide initial evidence that, similar to the field of psychology, registered reports in sport and exercise science are less likely to report conclusions supporting the stated hypotheses compared to traditionally published counterparts. Exploratory analyses showed that the difference in positive findings between psychology and sport and exercise for traditional articles was statistically significant (p = .014). However, this finding should be interpreted with caution due to potential confounding factors, including differences in publication periods, study selection strategies, and whether journal matching was applied.</p>","PeriodicalId":94181,"journal":{"name":"Psychology of sport and exercise","volume":" ","pages":"102995"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145042844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A commentary on \"Decision Making in Sports\" by.","authors":"David P Broadbent, Lyndell M Bruce","doi":"10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102979","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102979","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In recognition of the 25<sup>th</sup> anniversary of Psychology of Sport and Exercise (PSE), Johnson (2025) provided an insightful overview of decision making in sports, detailing the foundations of this research in psychology and then outlining the growth of decision making research in sport psychology. The review highlighted the tremendous progression of this research area, outlining several theoretical approaches that have been proposed, and providing future directions that will continue to progress the area in the next 25 years. It is the latter which we have chosen to delve in to further in this commentary. Specifically, we contend that the key for advancing this area of research is the use of real-world data and representative study designs to further our understanding of the interactive and context-specific nature of decision making in sport. This will have implications for performance and training in sport, as well as wider implications for our understanding of how humans interact with the world. We will provide a brief overview of the key points we took from the review by Johnson (2025) and build on each of these to highlight future directions for research that could provide unique insights into decision making in sport.</p>","PeriodicalId":94181,"journal":{"name":"Psychology of sport and exercise","volume":" ","pages":"102979"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144984342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christopher Mesagno, Adwoah A Hammond, Matthew A Goodyear
{"title":"An Initial Investigation into the Mental Health Difficulties in Athletes who Experience Choking under Pressure.","authors":"Christopher Mesagno, Adwoah A Hammond, Matthew A Goodyear","doi":"10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102663","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102663","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":94181,"journal":{"name":"Psychology of sport and exercise","volume":"45 10","pages":"102663"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140975586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exercise as the sum of our choices between behavioral alternatives: The Decisional Preferences in Exercising (DPEX) test.","authors":"Sinika Timme, Ralf Brand","doi":"10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102509","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102509","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Exercising can be theorized as the result of choosing one behavior over alternative behaviors. The Decisional Preferences in Exercising (DPEX) test is a computerized, easy-to-use, publicly available (open source Python code: https://osf.io/ahbjr/) and highly adaptive research tool based on this rationale. In the DPEX, participants are asked to choose between two images by pressing a key on the computer keyboard, one showing a physical exercise and the other showing a non-exercise behavioral alternative in a series of trials. Combinations are randomly assembled from two definable pools of stimuli trial-per-trial. The test can be scored either based on a crossed random effects model (facilitating the use of different stimulus material in different studies without compromising the comparability of test scores) or with a simple proportion score. Data from diverse study samples (N = 451) showed strong correlations of DPEX scores with past and future exercise behavior (r = 0.42 and 0.47 respectively) as well as with affective experiences with exercise (e.g., 'pleasure-displeasure': r = 0.47). DPEX test scores discriminated between exercisers and non-exercisers according to receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis. The DPEX may be used to examine research questions derived from dual process theories, the effects of psychological states on behavioral choices can be tested, or the effects of behavior change interventions can be evaluated. The DPEX helps to avoid common method bias in the assessment of exercise behavior, for example, when psychological variables are measured with questionnaires.</p>","PeriodicalId":94181,"journal":{"name":"Psychology of sport and exercise","volume":" ","pages":"102509"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48986442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Transtheoretical model's processes of change in the heart of a physical activity intervention: A series of n-of-1.","authors":"Josyanne Lapointe, P. Bernard, A. Romain","doi":"10.31234/osf.io/qxnsc","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/qxnsc","url":null,"abstract":"The objectives were a) to test whether a Processes of Change (POC)-personalized Transtheoretical model (TTM)-based intervention could increase physical activity (PA) among inactive adults, and b) to examine whether the intervention increased the level of TTM theoretical constructs. The following hypotheses were formulated: 1) PA levels will be significantly higher during and after the intervention in comparison to baseline measures; 2) the level of targeted POCs will increase during the intervention; 3) non targeted POCs will stay stable, and 4) self-efficacy and decisional balance levels will increase during the intervention. A series of N-of-1 with A (1 to 2-week)-B(10-week)-A'(2-week) design were conducted with 12 inactive adults. Behavioral counselors used behavior change techniques to target TTM constructs and supervise PA. Interventions were individualized based on the 5 POCs with the lowest pre-intervention level. Device-based and subjective PA along with TTM measures were collected weekly online. PA data were analyzed with piecewise linear models. A visual analysis was run to examine the TTM constructs. Device, self-reported and TTM data were available for five, seven and five participants, respectively. A significant self-reported PA increase for six participants was found during the phase B and A2. A significant device-measured PA increase was observed in two participants during the study. A substantial increase of targeted POC from baseline for all participants with available data was observed. This study provides the first evidence of behavioral and psychological effects of a POC-personalized TTM-based intervention in inactive adults.","PeriodicalId":94181,"journal":{"name":"Psychology of sport and exercise","volume":"67 1","pages":"102430"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43653555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}