Opposites attract? Mixed-sex parents' and siblings' sport participation differentiates youth athletes' perceived parenting climates.

Guided by family systems and achievement goal theories, this study examined how the sex of athletes and their main sport parents, as well as sport participation patterns (same sport, different sports, and no sports) of parent-athlete and sibling sex compositions (same-sex and mixed-sex), differentiated athlete perceptions of parenting climates-task-involving (emphasizing individual improvements, effort, and mastery) and ego-involving (emphasizing winning and performance comparison). Participants were 353 U.S. high school athletes (Mage = 15.52 and SD = 1.18; 55% male) who completed a survey on perceived parenting climates, family compositions, and sport backgrounds of their parents and siblings. We conducted six moderated regression analyses, two of which used (1) athlete sex and main sport parents' sex, (2) sport participation patterns of parent-athlete sex compositions, or (3) sport participation patterns of sibling sex compositions as independent variables. Four of the analyses were statistically significant with small effect sizes, showing that (1) boys perceived greater ego-involving climates than girls; (2) athletes whose same-sex parents played sports (same or different sports) compared to no sports-perceived greater task-involving climates: (3) athletes whose mixed-sex parents played (same or different sports) compared to no sports-perceived greater task-involving climates and less ego-involving climates; and (4) athletes whose mixed-sex siblings played different sports than they did, compared no sports, and perceived greater task-involving climates. None of the interactions were significant. Findings provide theoretical and practical implications by incorporating motivational climates, addressing the potential relationships of parents' and mixed-sex siblings' sport participation to adaptive parenting climates.

The Relationship of Resilience, Self-Compassion, and Social Support to Psychological Distress in Women Collegiate Athletes During COVID-19.

Given how COVID-19 had caused significant increases in collegiate athletes' psychological distress, we examined the extent to which such distress may have been ameliorated by the athletes' psychosocial resources (e.g., resilience). We used structural equation modeling to examine the direct and indirect relationships of resilience, self-compassion, and social support to women collegiate athletes' (N = 3,924; 81.2% White) psychological distress; athletes completed measures of these constructs from mid-April to mid-May 2020. Analyses revealed significant direct effects: More supported (ß = -0.12 to -0.19), self-compassionate (ß = -0.48 to -0.53), and resilient (ß = -0.21 to -0.35) athletes experienced less psychological distress (R2 = .61-.65). Further, self-compassion and social support were related indirectly (and inversely) to psychological distress through higher levels of resilience. These psychosocial resources appear to have played a positive role in how athletes coped with the pandemic, being associated with less psychological distress. These findings have application beyond the pandemic, providing direction for how sport psychology professionals may assist athletes in maintaining their well-being.

Motivational processes in college freshmen's exercise participation: A goal content theory perspective.

Objective: Grounded in goal content theory, this study tested two mediation models that examined the direct and indirect effects of intrinsic and extrinsic goals on exercise participation and subjective vitality in college freshmen. Methods: Participants were 181 college freshmen (Mage = 18.12 years) who completed an online survey that assessed their goal content, psychological need satisfaction, motivational regulations, exercise participation, and subjective vitality in the context of exercise. Results: Path analysis revealed an acceptable model fit for the hypothesized model, indicating that psychological need satisfaction mediated the positive relationships between intrinsic goals and, relative autonomy index (RAI), exercise participation, and subjective vitality, while RAI mediated the negative relationships between extrinsic goals and, exercise participation and subjective vitality. Conclusions: Findings expand current knowledge of goal content, indicating that emphasizing social affiliation, health management, and skill development is conducive to exercise participation, whereas focusing on appearance and social recognition could be detrimental.

Insomnia, Psychosocial Well-Being, and Weight Control Behaviors Among Healthy-Weight Adolescent Females: Brief Report.

BACKGROUND: Weight control behaviors (WCBs) typically involve appearance- or health-driven behaviors that may be influenced by physiological, psychological, or social factors. Sleep disturbances like insomnia are an important area of research for adolescent populations, as early intervention may result in improvements in other physical and mental health domains. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of insomnia, psychosocial well-being, and current WCBs in healthy-weight female adolescents. METHOD: Female adolescents (N = 323; Mage = 12.33 ± .04) who had healthy body mass index (BMI) levels completed self-report items on insomnia, depression, self-esteem, and physical self-concept. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), controlling for age, was conducted to further examine differences in insomnia and psychosocial variables among the WCB groups. RESULTS: Compared to those who were trying to stay the same weight or not trying to do anything about their weight, the girls who were trying to lose weight had significantly greater insomnia and depression symptoms, and lower self-esteem, with small to medium effect sizes. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians working with adolescent girls should include assessments of WCBs in addition to measures of insomnia symptoms, even for adolescent girls within a normal BMI range, as these are common and frequently co-occurring phenomena. Additional research is needed to further disentangle these complicated relationships.

Accessing Physical Activity and Health Disparities among Underserved Hispanic Children: The Role of Actual and Perceived Motor Competence.

Promoting physical activity (PA) and eliminating health disparities among underserved minority children is a public health priority. The main purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of actual motor competence (a set of object control skills) and perceived motor competence with PA participation and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among underserved Hispanic children who were born in the U.S. Guided by Stodden et al.'s conceptual model, we tested the direct and indirect effects (mediational model) of actual motor competence on health-related outcomes (PA and HRQoL) through perceived motor competence. Participants were 215 underserved Hispanic children (Mage = 10.55 years, SD = 0.53 [age range 10-12]; 51.6% boys), recruited from four elementary schools in the southwestern U.S., who completed validated questionnaires assessing their perceived motor competence, PA, and HRQoL. Their actual motor skills were assessed using PE MetricsTM. After examining the associations among the variables, we tested the hypothesized model using structural equation modeling (SEM; AMOS 25). The hypothesized model indicated a good fit (χ²/df = 38.427/24 = 1.60 < 5; non-normed fit index (NFI) = 0.93; comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.968; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.053 [0.016, 0.083]). The effect of actual motor competence on PA and HRQoL was fully mediated by perceived motor competence. The findings demonstrated the mediating role of perceived motor competence between actual motor competence and health-related outcomes (PA and HRQoL) among underserved Hispanic children. The results highlight that actual motor competence significantly predicted underserved Hispanic children' perceived motor competence, which in turn positively predicted their PA and HRQoL. These findings have significant practical implications for future intervention strategies of randomized clinical trials in schools aimed at promoting PA and HRQoL and eliminating health disparities among underserved Hispanic children.

Effects of a Need-Supportive Motor Skill Intervention on Children's Motor Skill Competence and Physical Activity.

A need-supportive environment can provide various motivational benefits to impact children's psychomotor developmental levels. However, very little is known about the effects of need-supportive motor skill intervention on children's motor skill competence and physical activity by gender. Guided by self-determination theory (SDT), this study aimed to (a) investigate the effect of a need-supportive fundamental movement skill (FMS) program on children's FMS competence and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and (b) explore potential gender differences in these effects. Thirty-six children (63.8% girls; Mage = 6.52 ± 0.97) participated and were divided into two groups: an intervention group (24 need-supportive FMS sessions over eight weeks) and a control group. A repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to examine the influence of the motor skill intervention on FMS competence and MVPA over time by group (intervention, control) and gender (boys, girls). The results showed (a) significant group differences between the intervention and control group in FMS competence and MVPA (p < 0.001), (b) non-significant gender differences between boys and girls in FMS competence and MVPA (p = 0.85), and (c) non-significant interaction effects over time (p = 0.52). The findings highlight that a need-supportive FMS program may enhance FMS development and daily physical activity for both genders during the early school years.

Effects of a Fundamental Motor Skill-Based Afterschool Program on Children's Physical and Cognitive Health Outcomes.

Globally, more than half of school-aged children do not engage in the recommended 60 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Given that developing sufficient fundamental motor skills (FMS) competence during early elementary school years is important for a child's physical and cognitive development, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an 8-week FMS-based afterschool program on physical and cognitive health outcomes among elementary children. Participants were 31 K-2 students (19 girls, 12 boys; Mage = 6.65 ± 0.98) from three public elementary schools in the southwestern United States who were assigned to the intervention group (FMS-based afterschool program; n = 20) or the control group (traditional afterschool program; n = 11). A 2 × 2 repeated measures MANOVA showed significant changes in FMS competence and MVPA between the intervention and the control group over time. However, no significant changes were found in cognitive functioning. The 8-week FMS-based afterschool program showed significant improvements in FMS competence and MVPA, compared to a traditional afterschool program. This finding suggests that structured FMS-focused strategies (e.g., fun games and goal setting) can be a critical component when implementing a physical activity program to enhance children's motor skills and physical activity behavior.

Exploring Racial Disparities in Physical Activity and Quality of Life Through an Expectancy-Value Perspective.

OBJECTIVES: Alleviating racial/ethnic disparities in physical activity (PA) and health outcomes during childhood becomes an important public health priority as the nation's populace continues to diversify. Guided by expectancy-value model, the purposes of this study were (a) to examine the potential differences in expectancy-value beliefs, PA and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) between African-American (AA) children and their American-Caucasian (AC) peers, and (b) to determine how the relationships among these variables might differ between the two racial groups. METHOD: Participants were 321 (152 boys; 189 AC) children from three schools who completed a previously validated questionnaire assessing their expectancy-value beliefs in physical education, leisure-time PA (PAQ-C), and HRQOL. RESULTS: Students' PA was positively associated with HRQOL among AC and AA children (p < .01). AA children had significant higher expectancy-value beliefs but lower HRQOL than AC children. The regression results revealed that both racial groups had a nearly identical effect of expectancy beliefs on their self-reported PA (ß = .34 in AA group, ß = .33 in AC group, respectively). The regression analysis also suggests that expectancy-value belief was a significant predictor of HRQOL while controlling for all other variables (ß = .36; p < .001) for the AC group, but not the AA group. CONCLUSIONS: The growing health disparities across racial/ethnic subgroups are of great public health concern. Thus, this study provided valuable insights regarding how to promote AA children's PA and HRQOL through an expectancy-value approach.

The direct and indirect effects of motor competence on adolescents' mental health through health-related physical fitness.

Mental health is an important public health issue and up to one in five youth experience mental health problems. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among motor competence, health-related physical fitness and mental health outcomes in adolescents. A secondary goal was to test the direct and indirect effects of motor competence on adolescents' mental health through health-related physical fitness. Participants were 279 adolescents (Mage = 12.49, SD = 0.89) recruited in the south-west region of the US Motor competence including volleyball, soccer, and ultimate Frisbee, were assessed using PE Metrics™. FITNESSGRAM® test battery was used to assess health-related physical fitness components. Students completed a survey measuring their depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life. Motor competence was significantly associated with components of health-related physical fitness (r ranged from -0.15 to 0.38). The robust fit of the model supports the significant indirect effect of motor competence on mental health outcomes through health-related physical fitness (χ2/df = 39.92/25; CFI = 0.97; RMSEA = 0.046; 90% CI [0.02, 0.07]). The hypothesized conceptual model tested in this study provides insights into the potential interaction of motor competence and health-related physical fitness with adolescents' mental health.

Motivational profiles in table tennis players: Relations with performance anxiety and subjective vitality.

Research has suggested the need to use a person-centred approach to examine multidimensionality of motivation. Guided by self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), the primary aim of the present study was to examine the motivational profiles in table tennis players and their composition by gender, country, training status, and competition levels (from recreational to international). The secondary aim was to examine the differences in performance anxiety and subjective vitality across the motivational profiles. Participants were 281 table tennis players from multiple countries, mostly the U.S. and China. Hierarchical and nonhierarchical cluster analyses were conducted and showed three motivational profiles with distinct quantity and quality: "low", "controlled", and "self-determined". Chi-square tests of independence demonstrated significant differences in their cluster membership by country, formal training with a coach, and competition levels, but not gender. MANCOVA results indicated differences in performance anxiety and subjective vitality across the motivational profiles, in which the controlled profile had the greatest anxiety symptoms. These differences are attributed to the quality over quantity of motivation, which have meaningful implications for table tennis coaches and sport psychology consultants to diagnose and intervene with players in order to reduce their performance anxiety and improve their well-being.