Where Did All the Sport Go? Negative Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Life-Spheres and Mental Health of Spanish Young Athletes.

During the 2020, the pandemic caused by the massive spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (COVID-19) resulted in a global crisis. In Spain, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a lockdown for almost 100 days and forced the sudden stop of sport practices and competitions. This interruption had a negative impact on high-level athletes' mental health. However, its impact on young athletes, who are intrinsically developing a high-demanding dual career, remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed at (1) describing and characterizing the general impact that COVID-19 lockdown had on Spanish young athletes' life-spheres and mental health, and (2) identifying different profiles of athletes regarding life-conditions and sport-related variables. A sample of 544 young athletes (M = 15.9; SD = 1.51) participated in this study. Measures included life-conditions and sport-related information along with the Holistic Monitoring Questionnaire (HMQ) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). After the screening and description of the data, profiles were defined using a two-level cluster analysis using HMQ and GHQ-12 subscales. We explored differences in demographic and sports information between profiles using MANOVA and subsequent ANOVA. Results suggest a general negative impact of COVID-19 on young athletes' life-spheres and mental health, but with three different clusters regarding the degree of such impact. Cluster 1 grouped the 54.78% of the sample and exhibited a low negative impact of COVID-19 lockdown on life-spheres and few mental health issues. Cluster 2 grouped a 29.96% of the participants who reported a medium negative impact on life-spheres and moderate mental health issues. Cluster 3 represented 15.26% of the sample including participants who showed a high negative impact of the COVID-19 lockdown with high mental health issues. The paradigmatic participant in this third group would be a female student-athlete from a medium or low socioeconomic status with high academic demands and poor or inexistent training conditions during lockdown. Current findings emphasize the need to pay attention to young athletes' mental health and suggest possible influencing contextual variables. We suggest some applied recommendations aimed at helping clubs and sports institutions to mitigate the negative effects of such difficult circumstances on athletes' mental health.

Can Multi-Item Measures and Single-Item Measures be Trusted to Assess Self-Determination Theory Constructs in the Elderly? / ¿Son fiables las Medidas Multi-Ítem y las Mono-Ítem Para Evaluar los Constructos de la Teoría de la Auto-Determinación en Personas Mayores?

BACKGROUND: Measuring complex constructs, such as those from self-determination theory models, is challenging in the elderly due to the response process, particularly in collective data gathering. In order to examine this construct in physical activity settings we aimed at determining whether single-item measures were as good as pre-existing multi-item measures. For that reason, we developed seven single-item measures targeting perceived interpersonal styles, basic needs satisfaction, and well-being. METHOD: We gathered evidence of validity and reliability for multi-item measures and single-item measures based on a sample of 128 elderly adults. Another sample of 62 elderly adults provided test-retest reliability for the single-item measures. RESULTS: Favourable evidence of the expected internal structure, concurrent validity, and reliability was obtained for competence- and relatedness-supportive styles, and for satisfaction of the basic psychological need of relatedness, fairly good evidence was obtained for subjective vitality, whereas mixed evidence was obtained for autonomy-supportive style and the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs of autonomy and competence. CONCLUSIONS: Single-item measures proved to be psychometrically sound substitutes for their multi-item counterparts, but the autonomy constructs need to be reconsidered. Furthermore the response process and consequences of testing should play a prominent role when devising questionnaires for the elderly

ANTECEDENTES: medir constructos complejos como los de la Teoría de la auto-determinación es un reto en personas mayores debido al proceso de respuesta. Para examinar estos constructos en actividad física nuestro objetivo fue comparar si las medidas mono-ítem eran igual de óptimas que las medidas multi-ítem pre-existentes. Por ello, desarrollamos siete medidas mono-ítem relacionadas con el estilo interpersonal, la satisfacción de las necesidades básicas y la vitalidad. MÉTODO: obtuvimos evidencias de validez y fiabilidad para las medidas multi-ítem y las medidas mono-ítem en una muestra de 128 personas mayores. Con otra muestra de 62 personas examinamos la fiabilidad test-retest para las medidas mono-ítem. RESULTADOS: se obtuvo evidencia favorable relativa a la estructura interna, validez concurrente y fiabilidad para apoyo a la competencia y a la relación, y para satisfacción de la relación y vitalidad, mientras que para apoyo a la autonomía, satisfacción de la autonomía y de la competencia fue no conclusiva. CONCLUSIONES: las medidas mono-ítem se han comportado como buenos sustitutos psicométricos para sus medidas multi-ítem homólogas, pero es necesario reconsiderar los constructos de autonomía, y además el proceso de respuesta y las consecuencias de la evaluación deben desempeñar un papel preeminente cuando se crean cuestionarios para personas mayores

Can Multi-Item Measures and Single-Item Measures be Trusted to Assess Self-Determination Theory Constructs in the Elderly?

BACKGROUND: Measuring complex constructs, such as those from self-determination theory models, is challenging in the elderly due to the response process, particularly in collective data gathering. In order to examine this construct in physical activity settings we aimed at determining whether single-item measures were as good as pre-existing multi-item measures. For that reason, we developed seven single-item measures targeting perceived interpersonal styles, basic needs satisfaction, and well-being. METHOD: We gathered evidence of validity and reliability for multi-item measures and single-item measures based on a sample of 128 elderly adults. Another sample of 62 elderly adults provided test-retest reliability for the single-item measures. RESULTS: Favourable evidence of the expected internal structure, concurrent validity, and reliability was obtained for competence- and relatedness-supportive styles, and for satisfaction of the basic psychological need of relatedness, fairly good evidence was obtained for subjective vitality, whereas mixed evidence was obtained for autonomy-supportive style and the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs of autonomy and competence. CONCLUSIONS: Single-item measures proved to be psychometrically sound substitutes for their multi-item counterparts, but the autonomy constructs need to be reconsidered. Furthermore the response process and consequences of testing should play a prominent role when devising questionnaires for the elderly.

Relationship between motivational climate, sportspersonship and disposition to cheating in young soccer players

heating in young soccer players. Participants were 197 soccer players aged between 13 and 19 from a club in Barcelona. Cuestionario deDisposición al Engaño en el Deporte (CDED), Multidimensional Sportspersonship Orientations Scale (MSOS) and Empowering and DisempoweringMotivational Climate Questionnaire (EDMCQ-C) were administered. Results showed that the perception of an empowering climate is linked to prosocialbehaviors (i.e., sportspersonship). Contrary, a perception of a disempowering climate is linked to the acceptance of antisocial behaviors (i.e., cheatingand gamesmanship). Moreover, gamesmanship behaviors are more accepted than cheating. This enlightens the importance of the coach-createdmotivational climate as an aspect that can influence in the player

Effect of a Psychological training on football grassroot coaches upon young player's fairplay and disposition to cheat

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