Relationships Between Resilience, Mental Well-Being, and COVID-19 Worries in Collegiate Student-Athletes.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with robust declines in well-being for collegiate student-athletes. Worries about COVID-19 have frequently been associated with worsening well-being; therefore, it is important to examine protective factors against well-being decrements. Resilience, one's ability to respond to stress and adversity, may be one such factor. Despite this possible influence, resilience has not yet been studied in student-athletes in this context as the pandemic has progressed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the moderating role of resilience on the relationship between COVID-19 worries and well-being. In this cross-sectional design, National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III athletes (N = 91) at one university completed surveys on COVID-19 worries, resilience, and well-being between February and March 2021. All competitions had been postponed until the Spring 2021 semester. The findings revealed a negative correlation between COVID-19 worries and well-being (r = -0.21, p = 0.05) and a positive correlation between resilience and well-being (r = 0.44, p < 0.001). Additionally, multiple regression and simple slopes analyses showed that individuals with higher resilience endorsed greater scores of well-being, even when COVID-19 worries increased (ß = 0.38, p = 0.02). In conclusion, our results suggest that resilience had a moderating effect on the relationship between COVID-19 worries and well-being.

Stigma, attitudes, and intentions to seek mental health services in college student-athletes.

Objective: To investigate predictors of mental health help-seeking as well as identify topics for which college student-athletes are most likely to seek help. Participants: Student-athletes (N = 328) from three Division II and III universities. Method: Participants completed a survey packet on stigma, attitudes, and intentions toward seeking mental health services as well as willingness to seek help for specific topics. Results: Structural equation modeling indicated public stigma was significantly related to self-stigma, self-stigma was related to attitudes, and attitudes were related to intentions. Using logistic regression analysis, self-stigma and attitudes were associated with an increased likelihood of having sought mental health services in the past. Comment: These results can be used to help sport psychologists and other mental health staff develop programing that might increase service use among student-athletes. Using a multifaceted approach that decreases stigma and improves attitudes could have the most meaningful effect on encouraging service use.

Interdependent Tripartite Efficacy Perceptions and Individual Performance: Case Study of a Boys' Basketball Team.

Tripartite efficacy refers to the beliefs of the individuals within a dyad regarding personal abilities (self-efficacy), the partner's abilities (other-efficacy), or relation-inferred self-efficacy. This efficacy model has recently gained popularity in sports research (Jackson, Whipp, & Beauchamp, 2013), although there has not been any longitudinal research on efficacy beliefs and performance within this complex intra-dyad tripartite efficacy model. In a case study, we examined six individual players on a high school basketball team to explore any longitudinal changes in these tripartite efficacy beliefs through a season of play. On seven data collection periods, players completed the Basketball-Tripartite Efficacy Measure, and their game performance statistics were analyzed with an objective basketball individual performance formula. We found similar variations between participants' other-efficacy beliefs and the dyad partner's basketball performance score as well as between self-efficacy and individual performance score. Observational data from this case study lend some support to spiraling of self-efficacy and performance from repeated successes or failures and to perceived efficacy-performance plateaus that have been previously demonstrated in controlled experimental research. Importantly, this study suggests the presence of other-efficacy beliefs in their relationship to other-performance and to spiraling relationships between other-efficacy beliefs and other-performance, which have not been demonstrated previously.

Ethical issues in sport psychology.

The field of sport psychology is dynamic and growing. To continue building credibility with the public and allied professionals, effective and ethical practice is crucial. Advances in technology have allowed sport psychology professionals to consult with athletes from a distance, but practitioners must be mindful of their competency to use technology, confidentiality concerns, and the suitability of technology for their clients. Movement toward defining competency and clarifying issues of title usage are additional areas in which the field is gaining momentum. Recent attention has also been drawn to the topics of professional development and cultural competency. With the unique settings in which applied sport psychology practice takes place, attention to multiple relationships is another key ethical issue.

Exploring the Relationship Between Athletic Identity and Beliefs About Rehabilitation Overadherence in College Athletes.

CONTEXT: Athletic identity has been associated with rehabilitation overadherence in college athletes. OBJECTIVES: To explore which constructs of athletic identity predict rehabilitation overadherence, gauge athletes' views of the most salient aspect of their athletic participation, and understand their perceptions of the reasons they adhere to their rehabilitation program. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, mixed methods. SETTING: University athletic training clinics and online. PARTICIPANTS: Currently injured college athletes (N = 80; 51 male, 29 female). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), Rehabilitation Overadherence Questionnaire (ROAQ), and 2 open-ended questions about athletic participation and rehabilitation adherence. RESULTS: Higher levels of athletic identity were associated with higher levels of rehabilitation overadherence (r = .29, P = .009). Hierarchical multiple regression used on AIMS subscales to predict ROAQ subscales did not reveal a significant model for the subscale "ignore practitioner recommendations." However, a significant model was revealed for the subscale "attempt an expedited rehabilitation," F5,73 = 2.56, P = .04, R2 = .15. Negative affectivity was the only significant contribution to the equation (ß = 0.33, t = 2.64, P = .01). Content analysis revealed that bodily benefits, sport participation, personal achievement, social relationships, and athlete status were perceived to be the most important aspects of being an athlete. The themes of returning to competition, general health, and relationship beliefs were identified as the major factors for adhering to a rehabilitation program. CONCLUSIONS: Negative affectivity accounted for a significant but low amount of variance for rehabilitation overadherence, suggesting that athletic trainers should pay attention to personal variables such as athletic identity that might influence the rehabilitation process. Using the knowledge of why athletes adhere to their rehabilitation and what is most important to them about being an athlete, athletic trainers can use appropriate interventions to facilitate proper rehabilitation adherence.

Big Five Personality Characteristics and Adherence to Clinic-Based Rehabilitation Activities after ACL Surgery: A Prospective Analysis.

PURPOSE: A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted to examine Big Five personality characteristics as predictors of adherence to clinic-based rehabilitation activities following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery. METHOD: Participants (72 men, 36 women) completed a questionnaire assessing Big Five personality dimensions prior to surgery. For the first 7 weeks after surgery, participants' rehabilitation session attendance was recorded and rehabilitation professionals rated participants' adherence during rehabilitation sessions.. RESULTS: Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that the 5 personality factors explained 11 percent of the variance in attendance and 17 percent of the variance in adherence ratings, that agreeableness was a significant positive predictor of attendance, and that conscientiousness and openness to experience were significant positive predictors of adherence ratings. CONCLUSION: As a potential contributor to adherence, personality warrants consideration when implementing rehabilitation programs after ACL surgery.