RESUMEN
The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of psychological mood on the performance and mental health of athletes during VR training. The study involved representatives of both men's and women's basketball teams from universities in China (62 girls and 65 boys, whose average age was 18.2). The participants were divided into 2 groups. Both groups trained regularly, except the experimental group used VR technology, while the control group did not. To study the physical performance of respondents, a complex psychophysiological test was used. The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) was used to assess the psychological mood and mental health of respondents. The VR training has been proven to increase the psychological attitude of basketball players during the training. Specifically, it has a positive effect on the psychophysiological performance indicators and mental health of athletes. Prospective research will be aimed at a comparative study of the impact of VR technology in the training process on the results of basketball players and representatives of other team sports.
RESUMEN
Behavioral aspects of organized sports activity for pediatric athletes are considered in a world consumed with winning at all costs. In the first part of this treatise, we deal with a number of themes faced by our children in their sports play. These concepts include the lure of sports, sports attrition, the mental health of pediatric athletes (i.e., effects of stress, anxiety, depression, suicide in athletes, ADHD and stimulants, coping with injuries, drug use, and eating disorders), violence in sports (i.e., concepts of the abused athlete including sexual abuse), dealing with supervisors (i.e., coaches, parents), peers, the talented athlete, early sports specialization and sports clubs. In the second part of this discussion, we cover ergolytic agents consumed by young athletes in attempts to win at all costs. Sports doping agents covered include anabolic steroids (anabolic-androgenic steroids or AAS), androstenedione, dehydroepiandrostenedione (DHEA), human growth hormone (hGH; also its human recombinant homologue: rhGH), clenbuterol, creatine, gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), amphetamines, caffeine and ephedrine. Also considered are blood doping that includes erythropoietin (EPO) and concepts of gene doping. In the last section of this discussion, we look at disabled pediatric athletes that include such concepts as athletes with spinal cord injuries (SCIs), myelomeningocele, cerebral palsy, wheelchair athletes, and amputee athletes; also covered are pediatric athletes with visual impairment, deafness, and those with intellectual disability including Down syndrome. In addition, concepts of autonomic dysreflexia, boosting and atlantoaxial instability are emphasized. We conclude that clinicians and society should protect our precious pediatric athletes who face many challenges in their involvement with organized sports in a world obsessed with winning. There is much we can do to help our young athletes find benefit from sports play while avoiding or blunting negative consequences of organized sport activities.
