The purpose of this study was to examine changes in female student athlete basketball players’ well-being over time. Eleven female student athlete basketball players completed the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale—Short Form (WEMWBS-SF) every week for 22 consecutive weeks. Differences in well-being (p = .027;
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Allison Columbus, Diane E. Mack, Philip M. Wilson, and Nicole J. Chimera
Lauren Garner, Hayley McEwan, and Amy Whitehead
This case study outlines the holistic development of an adolescent soccer player, placing focus on the welfare of the individual first and the performer second. The client was seeking support as family life disturbances were having a negative impact on his mental health and general well-being. In addition, scholarship decisions were imminent, and the client felt that his performance had deteriorated. An introduction to the practitioner and client is provided, along with an account of the challenging and anxiety-provoking process encountered. Practitioner reflections are embedded throughout, and recommendations for other trainee sport psychology practitioners are provided. This case highlights the potentially unforeseen roles that sport psychology practitioners may, at times, play to best support their clients. It demonstrates the benefit of seeking guidance and support from supervisors and collaborating with other members of a multidisciplinary team, as well as the importance of having a clearly defined philosophy of practice to ensure that one is working from a place of congruence.
Rebecca Busanich and Emma McAfee
Using a narrative approach framed by social constructionism, we partnered with an adaptive physical activity (PA) program to explore the underlying meanings constructed around disability and the adaptive PA experience for individuals with a broad array of disabilities, including cognitive/intellectual, neurological, and developmental and physical. In doing so, we were able to gain new and more inclusive perspectives on the pathways between adaptive PA and health. Our results showed that the partnering adaptive PA program and its volunteers adhered primarily to a quest narrative, which was often taken up and reproduced by the adaptive PA participants and their families. The quest narrative allowed for the individuals with disabilities to reframe their sense of self-identity, revise meanings around their disability, and connect on a deeper level to the world around them, all of which led to increased feelings of joy, freedom, transformation, hope, and overall improved health-related quality of life.
Ian Cunningham, Lionel Roche, and Duncan Mascarenhas
Many new video-based technologies (e.g., eye trackers, point-of-view camera) have been integrated into sport referee performance monitoring and training. Mobile 360° video (an omnidirectional video-capture tool affixed to the referee during their performance using a chest harness) provides moving images recorded from a first-person perspective. This case study explored rugby union referees’ and referee coaches’ engagement with mobile 360° video during a viewing of another referee’s performance. Using an other-confrontation interview approach, referees’ and referee coaches’ cognitive activity (interests, concerns, noticing, and knowledge) while viewing mobile 360° video was elicited and studied. Participants experienced heightened immersion in the situation, as well as enhanced discovery and noticing behavior, and they constructed different types of embodied and corporeal knowledge. Using a rugby union setting, this occurred through enhanced perceptual involvement provided by mobile 360° video for reflection on referee positioning and movement, contextual inference about decisions, and sensitivity to player cues and interactions. This study provides preliminary evidence for the utility and acceptability of mobile 360° video as a pedagogical innovation in referee training to enhance referees’ decision making, game management, and reflexivity. Limitations, challenges, and applications of immersive mobile 360° video as a pedagogical tool in rugby union refereeing and other sports are discussed.
Caroline Heaney and Nichola Kentzer
Sport psychology support can have a positive impact on sport injury rehabilitation; however, there appear to be barriers to injured athletes accessing such support (e.g., financial and geographical constraints). Online delivery has been suggested as a method to address some of these barriers. This case study therefore sought to explore whether an online sport psychology support hub was an effective method of sport injury psychology support. Sixteen injured athletes (seven male and nine female) participated in a 6-week sport psychology intervention where they were given access to an online hub moderated by a sport psychologist, in which sport psychology support was provided through social support (online forum), written emotional disclosure (diary), and psychological skills development (education resources). The impact of the hub was measured through analysis of the forum posts, diary entries, and responses to an evaluation questionnaire. While engagement with the hub was not as high as anticipated, the athletes reported several positive benefits from using the hub and rated its overall impact highly, demonstrating the potential of online delivery.
Zoe Louise Moffat and Paul McCarthy
Brief cognitive behavior therapy is planned brief therapy designed to influence a specific target behavior (e.g., sport performance) with the lowest investment of cost and time. We report a brief cognitive behavior therapy intervention delivered to improve serve performance in county-level youth tennis players (three male and one female; M age = 14.90 years). Following an assessment of athlete needs, we implemented a brief-contact intervention involving diaphragmatic breathing. The intervention was delivered across two “structured” sessions, with the athletes having access to the sport psychologist between sessions as required. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention, we implemented a single-case withdrawal design. Results indicated that the intervention had a positive effect on performance, with athletes’ first-serve percentage increasing significantly (3.91%, p < .05). Results also indicated that a minimum preperformance-routine time (routine > 2 s) might be required for effective performance outcomes. Finally, we offer reflections on the delivery and implementation of a single-case design, while navigating avenues of professional development.
Charlie Maher
A case study is presented about sport psychology practitioners working in Major League Baseball organizations in the United States and Canada who collaborated as a professional development support group. The practitioners ranged from entry-level mental skills coaches to midcareer providers to veteran sport psychologists. The professional development support group is described in relation to its professional development goals, membership criteria, and relevant context. The case study offers a perspective on the evolution of the group and provides evaluative information about implementation of its activities relative to its professional developmental goals. The case includes reflections about the meaning of the group and suggestions for how sport psychology practitioners can collaborate to foster their professional development in sport settings. In addition, lessons learned from the case study are considered for continued improvement of professional development support in sport psychology. Finally, guidelines are provided for designing and implementing professional development groups in sport psychology at professional and collegiate levels of sport.
Brennan Petersen, Cole E. Giffin, Thierry R.F. Middleton, and Yufeng Li
Peer mentoring is a supportive relationship between a more experienced mentor and a less experienced protégé that has garnered attention in recent sport research. Moving beyond traditional mentoring dyads, constellation peer mentoring engages several mentors to provide support to a protégé, ensuring they have access to multiple perspectives and areas of expertise. We implemented a constellation peer-mentoring program with Canadian university student-athletes throughout their competitive seasons. Subsequently, we undertook an instrumental case study to explore participants’ feedback and the perceived benefits of the program. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we interpreted participants’ responses as indicative of traditional mentoring benefits, including reduced transitional stress, feelings of well-being, and feelings of satisfaction. In addition, we determined unique aspects of constellation peer mentoring, such as increased team cohesion, improved help-seeking, an environment that fostered relational mentoring experiences, and the need for leader training. Constellation peer mentoring presents a promising intervention for supporting student-athletes during career transitions.
Eduardo Takeuchi, Shirley S. Lacerda, Guilherme Carlos Brech, and Elisa H. Kozasa
The aim of this case study was to evaluate the effects of integrated mind–body training in an elite surfing athlete. The mental training included the development of mental techniques (self-talk/internal monologue and mental imagery), mental skills (emotional regulation, state of presence, self-awareness, self-control, and self-confidence), life and performance coaching sessions (behavior improvement), and meditation and breathing techniques. The physical training consisted of “educating a conscious athlete” (he knows what he needs to do and why he is doing it); increasing muscles; perfecting the joint functions; developing physical capabilities of power, strength, and speed endurance; and exploring the same behaviors and mental skills integrated in the mind training. The athlete had his best classifications after the beginning of the intervention: third place in the Championship Tour in 2018, fourth place in 2019, second in 2021, and first in 2022, without any injuries, suspensions, or 25th-place classification in a surfing competition (the worst possible classification, which had happened in all previous years). Improvement in his behavior and lifestyle also helped the athlete realize his dreams. The result suggests that mind–body training might have contributed to his improvement and stability in the years 2018–2022.