Predicting adolescents' continuation in club sports: A prospective cohort study of the importance of personal and contextual motivational factors in five sports in Denmark.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the influence of types of motivation, basic psychological needs satisfaction and of a coach-created motivational climate on continued participation in youth sports across types of sport, competitive levels, ages, and gender. METHODS: Participants were 7110 adolescent (age 12-20 years) members of leisure time club organized in basketball, handball, football, badminton, and gymnastics in Denmark. Motivational regulation was measured with BRSQ-6, basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration were measured with PNSS-S, and coach-created climate was measured with the EDMCQ-C. The participants' continuation or dropout was measured at the beginning of the following season with a short electronic questionnaire. RESULTS: Intrinsic motivation, identified behavior regulation, experiences of competence, relatedness, and autonomy, as well as a coach-created empowering motivational climate, were associated with continuation both in the sport and in the club the following season across different sports, genders, age groups, and competitive levels. Introjected and external behavior regulation, frustrations with the need to experience competence, relatedness, and autonomy, as well as a disempowering coach-created climate, were associated with dropout. CONCLUSION: In Danish youth sports, autonomous motivation, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and an empowering coach-created motivational climate have a positive impact on the continuation of the sport and the club the following season. In contrast, controlled types of motivation, needs frustration, and a disempowering coach-created climate are associated with dropout. This is the case at both elite and recreational levels, for boys and girls, adolescents, and youth.

Factorial validity, predictive validity and measurement invariance of the Danish version of the coach-created Empowering Disempowering Motivational Climate Questionnaire (EDMCQ-C).

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to translate and validate a Danish version of the coach-created Empowering and Disempowering Motivational Climate Questionnaire (EDMCQ-C), retest the factor structure and provide further investigation into the psychometric properties in terms of measurement invariance across gender, age and competitive level, reliability and predictive validity. METHODS: The participants were 1719 male and 551 female Danish football players 12-20 years of age (M = 14.81) playing at recreational, medium and elite levels. Participants filled in EDMCQ-C as well as questionnaires measuring psychological needs (BPNESS) and behaviour regulation (BRSQ). Factor structure of the EDMCQ-C was tested using Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling. To test whether the factor structure differed across gender, age group and competitive level, an invariance analysis comparing configurational, metric and scalar models was conducted. RESULTS: EDMCQ-C showed good psychometric properties and measurement invariance across age, gender and competitive level. Both dimensions of EDMCQ-C were associated to needs satisfaction and behaviour regulation in expected directions and had high internal consistency. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence for the reliability of the two dimensions of EDMCQ-C, their predictive validity and for measurement invariance across age, gender and competitive level and provides a Danish version of the EDMCQ with sound psychometric properties.

Can psychological characteristics, football experience, and player status predict state anxiety before important matches in Danish elite-level female football players?

Elite football can make players feel nervous, and personality characteristics, as well as experience, affect how well pressure is handled before important games. Studying the psychological characteristics of female football players can provide information on how well psychological pressure is handled and generate knowledge on how to support players in order to improve performance. Based on a sample of 128 female elite football players from 8 top-level teams, the present study investigates whether psychological characteristics and football experience/player stus in elite female football players can predict state anxiety before important matches. Our results outline that high age and national team experience negatively predicted most of the trait anxiety subscales. In line with previous research, no psychological differences were found between goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and strikers while starting players revealed to have significantly lower trait anxiety. When measuring before important matches, we found that somatic state anxiety was negatively associated with senior national team experience and positively associated with worry trait anxiety and fear of failure. Cognitive state anxiety was negatively associated with hope for success and positively associated with somatic and worry trait anxiety. Self-confidence was positively associated with youth national team experience and negatively associated with worry trait anxiety. It can be concluded that psychological characteristics and national team experience are both important for optimal state anxiety before important matches in elite-level women's football. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Well-Being, Physical Fitness, and Health Profile of 2,203 Danish Girls Aged 10-12 in Relation to Leisure-time Sports Club Activity-With Special Emphasis on the Five Most Popular Sports.

ABSTRACT: Madsen, M, Larsen, MN, Cyril, R, Møller, TK, Madsen, EE, Ørntoft, C, Lind, RR, Ryom, K, Christiansen, SR, Wikman, J, Elbe, AM, and Krustrup, P. Well-being, physical fitness, and health profile of 2,203 Danish girls aged 10-12 in relation to leisure-time sports club activity-with special emphasis on the five most popular sports. J Strength Cond Res 36(8): 2283-2290, 2022-This study investigated the relationship between leisure-time sports club activities and well-being as well as physical health parameters in 10-12-year-old Danish girls. Two thousand two hundred three girls took part in the study, which included questionnaires on participation in leisure-time sports clubs, well-being, Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 children's test, long jump, balance tests, body composition, blood pressure (BP), and resting heart rate (RHR). Data were analyzed according to whether the girls participated in leisure-time sport and according to the 5 most frequently reported sports. Girls enrolled in leisure-time sports had higher physical well-being (49.3 ± 8.6 vs. 45.2 ± 8.3), psychological well-being (50.4 ± 9.0 vs. 49.4 ± 9.8), experienced more peer and social support (50.2 ± 10.0 vs. 48.9 ± 10.7), and perceived a more positive school environment (52.5 ± 8.0 vs. 50.5 ± 9.3), as well as showing higher Yo-Yo (+39%), long jump (+10%), and balance performance (+15%) than girls not involved in sport clubs. The girls active in sports clubs had higher relative muscle mass (+5%), lower fat percentage (-11%), body mass index (-5%), RHR (-3.4 b·min -1 ), and diastolic BP (-1.4 mm Hg) compared with girls not involved in sport ( p < 0.05). Girls who played soccer showed higher aerobic fitness compared with inactive girls (+67%), dancers (+39%), swimmers (+38%), and gymnasts (+16%). Gymnasts had a lower fat percentage than inactive girls (-19%), team handballers (-10%), swimmers (-12%), and soccer players (-4%). Girls participating in club-based leisure-time sports showed higher well-being and better fitness and health profiles than girls not involved in any sports club activities. Girls involved in soccer had better aerobic fitness and gymnasts a lower fat percentage.

The "11 for Health in Denmark" intervention in 10- to 12-year-old Danish girls and boys and its effects on well-being-A large-scale cluster RCT.

BACKGROUND: The present study investigates the well-being effects for 10- to 12-year-old children  who participated in the school-based intervention "11 for Health in Denmark," which comprises physical activity (PA) and health education. Subgroup analyses were carried out for boys and girls. METHOD: Three thousand sixty-one children were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG) or a control group (CG) by 5:1 cluster randomization by school. 2533 children (mean age 11.5 ± 0.4; 49.7% boys) were assigned to IG and 528 children (mean age 11.4 ± 0.5; 50.8% boys) were assigned to CG. IG participated in the "11 for Health in Denmark" 11-week program, consisting of 2 × 45 min per week of football drills, small-sided games, and health education. CG did not participate in any intervention and continued with their regular education. Before and after the intervention period, both groups answered a shortened version of the multidimensional well-being questionnaire KIDSCREEN-27. RESULTS: The "11 for Health in Denmark" intervention program had a positive effect on physical well-being in girls (IG: 48.6 ± 8.5 to 50.2 ± 9.3), whereas the improvement was not significant in boys. The program also had a positive impact on well-being scores for peers and social support (IG: 50.2 ± 10.2 to 50.8 ± 10.1), though when analyzed separately in the subgroups of boys and girls the changes were not significant. No between-group differences were found for psychological well-being or school environment. CONCLUSION: The intervention program had a positive between-group effect on physical well-being in girls, whereas the change was not significant in boys. The overall scores for peers and social support improved during the intervention period, but no subgroup differences were found.

Acute high-intensity football games can improve children's inhibitory control and neurophysiological measures of attention.

Recent studies suggest that a single bout of exercise can lead to transient performance improvements in specific cognitive domains in children. However, more knowledge is needed to determine the key exercise characteristics for obtaining these effects and how they translate into real-world settings. In the present study, we investigate how small-sided football games of either high- or moderate-intensity affect measures of inhibitory control in a school setting. Eighty-one children (mean age 11.8, 48 boys) were randomly allocated to three groups performing 20-minute of high-intensity small-sided real football games (SRF), moderate-intensity small-sided walking football games (SWF) or resting (RF). Behavioral measures of inhibitory control and neurophysiological measures of attention (P300 latency and amplitude) were obtained during a flanker task performed at baseline and 20 minutes following the intervention. Retention of declarative memory was assessed in a visual memory task 7 days after the intervention. Measures of inhibitory control improved more in children performing SRF compared to SWF 19 ms, 95% CI [7, 31 ms] (P = 0.041). This was paralleled by larger increases in P300 amplitudes at Fz in children performing SRF compared both to RF in congruent (3.54 µV, 95% CI [0.85, 6.23 µV], P = 0.039) and incongruent trials (5.56 µV, 95% CI [2.87, 8.25 µV], P < 0.001) and compared to SWF in incongruent trials (4.10 µV, 95% CI [1.41, 6.68 µV], P = 0.010). No effects were found in measures of declarative memory. Together this indicates that acute high-intensity small-sided football games can transiently improve measures of inhibitory control and neurophysiological correlates of attention. Intense small-sided football games are easily implementable and can be employed by practitioners, for example, during breaks throughout the school day.

The associations between motivational climate, basic psychological needs and dropout in volleyball - A comparison across competitive levels.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of motivational climate for the satisfaction of psychological needs and dropout in recreational, intermediate and elite volleyball. Seven thousand nine hundred thirty six volleyball players from all 321 volleyball clubs across Denmark were invited to participate in the study. Three thousand three thirty answered the questionnaire and 2150 were included in the analysis. Dropout from Volleyball was measured as the proportion of players that had stopped playing volleyball over the last year. The coach-created motivational climate was measured using the Motivational Climate Scale for Youth Sports. The satisfaction of players' psychological needs was measured using an adapted version of the basic psychological needs in exercise scale. The psychometric scales were validated and showed good model fit. For volleyball players of all levels, the degree of mastery climate predicted the satisfaction of the players' basic psychological needs satisfaction during volleyball which was, in turn, associated with lower dropout rates. Performance climate had a weak negative association with the satisfaction of psychological needs on the intermediate level only. When adjusting the models for the negative association between performance climate and mastery climate this negative association became nonsignificant and a weak positive association to needs satisfaction emerged for players at the elite level. Findings confirm that the coach-created mastery climate in volleyball teams is important for the satisfaction of players' basic psychological needs and continuation within the sport across the recreational, intermediate and elite levels. HighlightsCoach-created mastery climate in volleyball teams was positively associated with the satisfaction of the players' basic psychological and negatively associated with dropout.These associations between coach created climate, need satisfaction and dropout were similar across different sporting levels.Performance orientation had little influence and seemed mainly problematic if it was at the expense of mastery climate.

Resilience as a protective factor for well-being and emotional stability in elite-level football players during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: In Denmark, the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown resulted in a compact season finisher for elite footballers, potentially impacting their mental health.Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the protective role of resilience and the impeding role of trait anxiety on elite footballers' level and variability of well-being and emotional stability.Material and Methods: One hundred and twenty-five male elite-level players (Mage = 25.04 ± 4.82) completed baseline measures on trait anxiety and resilience. Additionally, well-being and positive and negative affect were assessed before games (n = 24) over 62 days. Separate two-level regression analysis using Bayesian statistics was conducted to test potential relationships. Results: Results show a credible positive relationship between the average level of well-being and within-person variability over time as well as the average level in positive affect. This indicates that resilience might be a protector for mental health. In addition, higher levels of trait anxiety (i.e., subscale concentration disruption) were associated with higher levels of negative affect and higher variability over time. This indicates that trait anxiety might facilitate negative affect. No other credible relationships were found. Conclusion: High resilience and low trait anxiety are identified as relevant factors for mental health within elite footballers during COVID-19. Implications for practice are discussed.

Fitness and health benefits of team handball training for young untrained women-A cross-disciplinary RCT on physiological adaptations and motivational aspects.

PURPOSE: The present study evaluated the effects of regular participation in small-sided team handball training on body composition, osteogenic response, physical performance, and cardiovascular risk factors, as well as well-being and motivation, in young untrained women. METHODS: Twenty-eight untrained 20- to 30-year-old women were randomized to a handball training group (HG; n = 14, height 170 ± 5 cm, weight 73 ± 11 kg, VO2peak 37.7 ± 4.1 mL/min/kg) that trained 1.7 ± 0.3 times per week over 12 weeks (70 min 4 v 4 handball sessions) or an inactive control group (CG; n = 14, 169 ± 5 cm, 71 ± 12 kg, 38.1 ± 3.7 mL/min/kg). Physiological and psychological and motivational training adaptations were assessed pre- and post-intervention by dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scans, blood sampling, physical tests, and questionnaires. RESULTS: The average heart rate (HR) over all training sessions was equal to 85% ± 6% HRmax. Between-group intervention effects were observed in favor of HG for muscle mass (2.1%, p = 0.024), proximal femur bone mineral density (0.8%, p = 0.041), Yo-Yo IE1 intermittent endurance test level 1 (IE1) performance (35%, p < 0.001), and incremental treadmill test performance (11.5%, p = 0.003), but not total fat mass (p = 0.176), mean arterial blood pressure (p = 0.328), resting HR (p = 0.219), or blood lipids (p = 0.298-0.854). In CG, no changes were observed in any of the measured physiological variables after the training period. Compared to CG, HG had an increase in intrinsic motivation (p < 0.001) and in the well-being subscale "energy" (p = 0.010). CONCLUSION: Participation in regular recreational team handball training organized as small-sided games has marked beneficial effects on physical performance, musculoskeletal fitness, well-being, and motivation in untrained young women.

The importance of cohesion and enjoyment for the fitness improvement of 8-10-year-old children participating in a team and individual sport school-based physical activity intervention.

This study investigates the enjoyment and cohesion of school children participating in a school-based high-intensity physical activity (PA) intervention. Both enjoyment and cohesion have been found to be important factors for adherence to regular physical and sport activity, an important outcome of PA interventions. The sample consisted of 300 pupils (mean age: 9.3 years; 52.7% female) assigned to a team sport intervention, an individual sport intervention, or a control group for 10 months. The Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale and Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire were used to measure enjoyment and cohesion. The Yo-Yo IR1C test determined fitness improvements. Results showed that enjoyment and cohesion (social) measured at the beginning of the intervention significantly predict fitness improvements achieved after 10 months. No differing developmental effects over time could be found in the intervention groups with regard to cohesion and enjoyment when comparing them to the control group. However, enjoyment and cohesion (social) significantly decreased in the groups that performed individual sports. Team sports seem to be more advantageous for the development of enjoyment and cohesion, which are both factors that positively impact the health outcomes of the intervention.

The Effect of Floorball Training on Health Status, Psychological Health and Social Capital in Older Men.

This article presents the results of a multidisciplinary study which investigated the effects of a period with floorball training on health status, psychological health and social capital of older men. Thirty-nine untrained men aged 69.9 ± 0.6 (range: 65-76) were randomized into a group playing floorball (n = 22) or a group playing petanque (n = 17) one hour twice a week for 12 weeks. Both groups filled out the Health Survey Short Form (SF-12) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) before and after the 12-week intervention. Linear regression analyses with bootstrapping showed that the men in the floorball group improved in the SF-12 composite score for mental health, as well as the HADS subscales anxiety and depression, compared to the men in the petanque group. In addition, 21 interviews were conducted with a sample of the men engaged in floorball. According to the statements in the interviews, the men in the floorball group experienced a high degree of solidarity and group cohesion which seemed to have increased their social capital during the intervention. In particular, the fun and joyful experiences of playing led to a high degree of social connectedness, which were mentioned by many of the men as the main reason for their participation throughout the 12-week period. The statistical results and the interview findings suggest that participation in a ball game such as floorball has several benefits regarding health status, psychological health and social capital and in addition that playing floorball is experienced as enjoyable amongst older men. Thus, it can be concluded that floorball is an activity that benefits older men and should be provided in relevant contexts, such as e.g. sport clubs or centres for seniors.