Orienteering Is More than Just Running! Acute Effect of Competitive Pressure on Autonomic Cardiac Activity among Elite Orienteering Athletes.

Background and Objectives: Orienteering is a sport characterized by high physical exertion and intense mental demands, which increase susceptibility to errors. Understanding the impact of such errors on psychophysiological responses, particularly on heart rate variability (HRV), is essential. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between psychophysiological indicators and checkpoint errors made by elite orienteers during official competition. Materials and Methods: Fifty-three orienteers participated in this study, and their performance was continuously monitored and recorded by using a global positioning system (GPS) and HRV data. Errors made during the orienteering events were identified and analyzed. HRV data were examined in three temporal segments: before, during, and after the identified and standardized errors. Results: The analyses indicated that errors significantly impacted HRV indices across multiple domains: the time domain, frequency domain, and nonlinear domain. Additionally, a significant effect of sex on the normalized the root mean square of successive differences (r-MSSD) before and after the error was observed. Conclusions: The findings of this study underscore the significant impact of errors made by orienteers on cardiovascular responses, as evidenced by measurable alterations in HRV metrics. Cardiovascular activity, represented by the HRV, can provide useful information for coaches and sport psychologists to adopt effective training programs for athletes.

Psychological capital, quality of life, and well-being in mother caregivers of individuals with down syndrome.

Introduction: Caused by an error in cell division that produces an additional chromosome 21, Down syndrome (DS) is one of the most common developmental disorders in the world. This study aims to analyze the relationship between psychological capital, quality of life and well-being of caregivers of individuals with Down syndrome (DS). Methods: The participants were 98 caregivers (mothers, M = 52.13, SD = 11.39) of individuals with Down syndrome. The instruments used were the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (measuring self-efficacy, resilience, optimism, and hope), Quality of Life Questionnaire (including social support, general satisfaction, physical/psychological health, absence of excessive workload/free time), and Psychological Wellbeing Scale, investigating the following dimensions: self-acceptance, positive relationships with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth. Results: The mediation analysis showed that self-efficacy, hope, and resilience are positively associated to quality of life, and optimism is positively associated to well-being. The total effects of psychological capital on well-being are positive and significant and quality of life mediates the relationship between psychological capital and well-being. Discussion: These results show that psychological capital is an important inner resource for caregivers of DS individuals and must be improved through support services, so that caregivers have a higher perception of the quality of life and implicitly of well-being.