Predicting Perceived Sport Performance via Self-Determination Theory.

Sport performance depends in part on psychological factors. Self-determination theory emphasizes that the satisfisfaction of basic psychological needs and autonomous motivation may be linked to positive behavioral results and positive perceptions of performance. Our main objective in this study was to analyze the predictive power of such variables as perceived autonomy support, the satisfaction of psychological needs, and autonomous motivation on perceived sport performance. We recruited 447 young Portuguese athletes/participants (340 males, 107 females; Mage = 15.72 years, SD = 1.8). We had participants complete Portuguese sport versions of the Perceived Autonomy Support Exercise Climate Questionnaire, the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale, the Behavior Regulation Sport Questionnaire and the Perceived Performance in Sport Questionnaire. A gender invariant structural equation model showed that the coach's autonomy support significantly predicted the satisfaction of psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The satisfaction of these three psychological needs predicted autonomous motivation. Satisfying the need for competence positively predicted perceived sport performance, but autonomous motivation was not significantly related to perceived performance.

Alcohol Protective Behavioral Strategies in Young Spanish Adults in the Community: A Prospective Study of Perceived Efficacy and Social Norms.

BACKGROUND: Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) have been shown to be useful for reducing excessive alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. However, research on the explanatory factors of PBS is limited. This paper prospectively examines the contribution of perceived efficacy of PBS in reducing alcohol-related consequences and perceived descriptive norms of close peers´ PBS use in young adults. The mediating role of perceived efficacy of PBS between descriptive norms of PBS use and personal PBS use is also examined. METHOD: Targeted sampling was used to recruit a community-based sample of 339 young Spanish adults aged 18-25 years, who completed baseline and two-month follow-up questionnaires. Three types of PBS (serious harm reduction-SHR, manner of drinking-MOD, and stopping/limiting drinking-SLD) were measured. RESULTS: Both perceived efficacy and descriptive norms at baseline were positively associated with personal PBS use (SHR, MOD and SLD) at follow-up. A partial mediation effect of perceived efficacy between descriptive norms and personal PBS use was found for the three PBS subscales. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the usefulness of correcting misperceptions of PBS use by peers in interventions aimed at reducing excessive drinking and alcohol-related consequences in young adults in the community. Moreover, PBS perceived efficacy should be included as a component of these interventions.

Harm Reduction Strategies among University Students Who Use Alcohol and Cannabis, and Related Psychological Variables: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review identifies the psychological variables associated with the use of harm reduction strategies (HRS) among university students who use alcohol or cannabis. The reviewed studies are categorized according to the psychological variables studied and the different analytic approaches used (direct effects, mediation, and moderation). Among the empirical peer-reviewed studies identified (n = 76), most (94.7%) were cross-sectional studies conducted in the US (90.8%) with samples of alcohol-using university students (86.8%). Five categories were identified: mental health, motives/expectancies, personality, social cognition, and self-efficacy. The most studied constructs were motives, anxiety and depression, impulsivity, and social norms. Most studies conducted mediation or moderation analyses including psychological variables, HRS and alcohol outcomes. Social, enhancement and coping motives, impulsivity, and social norms of alcohol use were associated with lower use of HRS, which, in turn, was associated with a higher number of alcohol/cannabis outcomes. The results of moderation studies consistently suggest that HRS use was more protective for students with poor mental health, high impulsivity, and low self-regulation. The synthesis of evidence provided in this review could be useful for guiding future research and informing the design of interventions aimed at promoting the use of HRS among university students who use alcohol and/or cannabis.

A longitudinal study among young adults into the predictive effect of perceived efficacy of behavioural strategies and the moderating role of drinking motives on use of protective behavioural strategies.

INTRODUCTION: Although protective behavioural strategies (PBS) have shown to be effective in minimising alcohol-related negative consequences, research on the explanatory factors of their use is very scarce. Perceived efficacy has been demonstrated to be one of the most relevant explanatory factors in the use of health-related protective behaviours. The present study prospectively examines the relationship between the perceived efficacy of PBS in reducing alcohol-related negative consequences and the use of PBS in a community-based sample of young adults. In addition, the moderating role of drinking motives in this relationship is also examined. METHODS: Prospective design with a baseline assessment and a 2-month follow up. Using a targeted sampling procedure, 339 young adults were recruited from the community [mean age: 21.1 (SD = 2.21); female = 50.7%] and completed questionnaires to measure perceived efficacy of PBS and drinking motives at baseline and PBS use at follow up. RESULTS: Perceived efficacy of PBS at baseline was positively associated with PBS use at follow up, and these relationships were weaker as social, enhancement and coping motives scores increased. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the need to include the perceived efficacy of PBS to reduce alcohol-related negative consequences in future interventions aimed at promoting PBS use. Moreover, these interventions should be personalised according to the initial levels of participants' drinking motives, incorporating elements that allow for neutralising their negative effects on PBS use (e.g. training in coping skills for those with strong coping motives).

Alcohol Protective Behavioral Strategies in Young Spanish Adults in the Community: A Prospective Study of Perceived Efficacy and Social Norms / Uso de Estrategias Conductuales de Protección Entre Jóvenes-Adultos Españoles: un estudio Prospectivo de la Eficacia Percibida y las Normas Sociales

Background: Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) have been shown tobe useful for reducing excessive alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. However, research on the explanatory factors of PBS is limited. This paperprospectively examines the contribution of perceived efficacy of PBS inreducing alcohol-related consequences and perceived descriptive normsof close peers ́ PBS use in young adults. The mediating role of perceivedefficacy of PBS between descriptive norms of PBS use and personal PBS use is also examined. Method: Targeted sampling was used to recruit acommunity-based sample of 339 young Spanish adults aged 18-25 years,who completed baseline and two-month follow-up questionnaires. Threetypes of PBS (serious harm reduction-SHR, manner of drinking-MOD, andstopping/limiting drinking-SLD) were measured. Results: Both perceivedefficacy and descriptive norms at baseline were positively associated withpersonal PBS use (SHR, MOD and SLD) at follow-up. A partial mediationeffect of perceived efficacy between descriptive norms and personal PBS use was found for the three PBS subscales.Conclusions: Our findingssupport the usefulness of correcting misperceptions of PBS use by peersin interventions aimed at reducing excessive drinking and alcohol-relatedconsequences in young adults in the community. Moreover, PBS perceivedefficacy should be included as a component of these interventions.

Antecedentes: las estrategias conductuales de protección (ECP)han mostrado utilidad para reducir el consumo excesivo de alcohol y sus problemas asociados, aunque la investigación sobre sus factores explicativos es escasa. Este trabajo examina la contribución de la eficacia percibida delas ECP para reducir las consecuencias negativas del alcohol, y la norma descriptiva percibida del uso de PBS de los iguales, en adultos jóvenes. Además, analiza el papel mediador de la eficacia percibida entre norma descriptiva y ECP. Método: mediante muestreo dirigido a poblacionesdiana, 339 jóvenes españoles (18-25 años) comunitarios cumplimentaron cuestionarios basal y de seguimiento (dos meses), midiéndose tres tipos deECP (reducción de daños-RR, forma de beber-FB, parar/limitar el consumo-PLC). Resultados: eficacia y norma se asociaron positivamente con el uso deECP (RR/FB/PLC) en el seguimiento. Para los tres tipos de ECP se detectóun efecto de mediación parcial de la eficacia percibida entre la norma y el usode ECP. Conclusiones: corregir percepciones erróneas del uso de ECP de losiguales puede ser útil en las intervenciones dirigidas a reducir el uso excesivode alcohol y sus consecuencias en adultos jóvenes comunitarios, al igual quela inclusión de la eficacia percibida como uno de sus componentes.

Changes in Alcohol Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Young Adults: The Prospective Effect of Anxiety and Depression.

Health measures instantiated to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have imposed significant constraints for the population and impacted on drinking habits and mental health. This study longitudinally compared changes in alcohol consumption before and after the COVID-19 outbreak and the impact of sociodemographic and mental health variables on such changes among a community sample of young adults. Data were collected in the context of a larger, ongoing longitudinal study. The sample consisted of 305 young adults from Spain aged between 18 and 26 years (mean age = 21.27, (SD = 2.21), female = 53.4%; college students = 61.6%) who completed first (November-2019 and February-2020; i.e., before the outbreak of COVID-19) and second follow-up questionnaires (March 2021, a year after the COVID-19 outbreak). Alcohol use (quantity and drinking frequency), depression and anxiety symptoms were measured. Quantity and frequency of alcohol use decreased from the pre- to post-COVID-19 period. A decrease in drinking frequency was observed among college students, but not in noncollege peers. Although we found no effect of pre-COVID-19 anxiety on alcohol use changes, those with more depressive symptoms at the pre-COVID assessment were more resistant to decreasing their drinking quantity and frequency after the COVID-19 outbreak. This information will be of value when designing interventions aimed at reducing harmful alcohol use and highlights the role of mental health status when identifying high risk populations of young-adults during this, and future, public health crises.

Harm Reduction Strategies and Drug-Related Negative Consequences in the Dance Music Scene: The Moderating Role of Polysubstance Use.

INTRODUCTION: Although simultaneous polysubstance use (SPU) is associated with greater harms than concurrent polysubstance use (CPU), no previous research has examined the effectiveness of harm reduction strategies in reducing drug-related harms in people who use drugs simultaneously and whether these strategies have a differential impact on drug-related negative consequences according to SPU patterns. Objectives: to examine the relationship between SPU patterns, harm reduction strategies and drug-related consequences experienced among people who attend dance music settings, and to examine the moderating role of SPU patterns in the relationship between harm reduction strategies and drug-related negative consequences Methods: a web-based survey was used to gather data from 649 substance-using attendees at dance music settings (mean age = 26.2, 68% male). The survey collected data on: settings of last party attended, drug use, harm reduction strategies used and drug-related negative consequences experienced during last party attended. Results: Latent class analysis identified two SPU profiles: Moderate SPU and Severe SPU. Participants in the severe SPU class experienced more drug-related negative consequences at their last party in comparison with those in the moderate SPU class. Regardless of SPU pattern, avoiding binge drinking was related to fewer drug-related negative consequences, whilst avoiding mixing stimulants was related to fewer drug-related negative consequences only among those participants in the severe simultaneous polysubstance use class. Conclusions: These findings could help to inform the design of messages and tailored interventions aimed at minimizing drug-related negative consequences among people who use multiple substances in the dance music scene.

Spanish Adaptation of the Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale-20 (S-PBSS-20) and Evaluation of its Psychometric Properties in University Students / Adaptación Española de la Escala de Estrategias Conductuales de Protección-20 (S-PBSS-20) y Evaluación de sus Propiedades Psicométricas en Estudiantes Universitarios

BACKGROUND: Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) have shown utility in reducing alcohol-related negative consequences. The Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale (PBSS) is one of the most widely used and well-validated instruments for evaluating these strategies. However, a Spanish adaptation of this or any other measure of PBS is not available. We aimed to provide a Spanish version of PBSS-20 and examine its psychometric properties. METHOD: We recruited 538 undergraduate students from three Spanish universities (mean age = 21.2; females = 78%). Measures included the Spanish-PBSS-20 (S-PBSS-20), Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (YAACQ), Daily Drinking Questionnaire, and frequency of alcohol use, drunkenness, and binge drinking. RESULTS: Our results support the use of the original 3-factor structure of the PBSS-20. Internal consistency reliability ranged between 0.71-0.77, and evidence of validity was provided according to the expected relationships with other variables. Exploratory factor analyses provided evidence of convergent/discriminant validity of S-PBSS-20. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that PBSS-20 is a useful instrument for assessing protective behavioral strategies in alcohol users. The S-PBSS-20 could be useful for research on alcohol-related protective behavioral strategies and consequences, and could also inform the design of educational interventions for promoting the use of protective strategies and reducing alcohol-related negative consequences

ANTECEDENTES: las estrategias conductuales de protección (ECP) han mostrado utilidad para reducir las consecuencias negativas del alcohol. La Escala de Estrategias Conductuales de Protección (PBSS) es uno de los instrumentos más utilizados y validados para evaluar estas estrategias. Sin embargo, no contamos con una adaptación española de este u otro instrumento para medir ECP. OBJETIVO: aportar una versión española de la PBSS-20 y analizar sus propiedades psicométricas. MÉTODO: participaron 538 estudiantes de tres universidades españolas (edad media = 21,2; mujeres = 78%), administrándose el Cuestionario de Consecuencias del Consumo de Alcohol en Jóvenes Adultos (YAACQ) y el Cuestionario de Consumo Diario de alcohol. Se recogió información sobre frecuencia de consumo, borracheras y atracón. RESULTADOS: los resultados apoyan el uso de la PBSS-20 original con una estructura de tres factores. La fiabilidad como consistencia interna osciló entre 0.71-0.77 y se aportaron evidencias de validez según las relaciones teóricas esperadas. El análisis factorial exploratorio aportó evidencias de validez convergente/discriminante. CONCLUSIONES: los resultados apoyan la utilidad de la PBSS-20 para medir ECP en consumidores de alcohol. La S-PBSS-20 puede ser útil tanto para la investigación sobre ECP, como para orientar intervenciones educativas de promoción de estas estrategias y de reducción de consecuencias negativas asociadas al alcohol

Spanish Adaptation of the Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale-20 (S-PBSS-20) and Evaluation of its Psychometric Properties in University Students.

BACKGROUND: Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) have shown utility in reducing alcohol-related negative consequences. The Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale (PBSS) is one of the most widely used and well-validated instruments for evaluating these strategies. However, a Spanish adaptation of this or any other measure of PBS is not available. We aimed to provide a Spanish version of PBSS-20 and examine its psychometric properties. METHOD: We recruited 538 undergraduate students from three Spanish universities (mean age = 21.2; females = 78%). Measures included the Spanish-PBSS-20 (S-PBSS-20), Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (YAACQ), Daily Drinking Questionnaire, and frequency of alcohol use, drunkenness, and binge drinking. RESULTS: Our results support the use of the original 3-factor structure of the PBSS-20. Internal consistency reliability ranged between 0.71-0.77, and evidence of validity was provided according to the expected relationships with other variables. Exploratory factor analyses provided evidence of convergent/discriminant validity of S-PBSS-20. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that PBSS-20 is a useful instrument for assessing protective behavioral strategies in alcohol users. The S-PBSS-20 could be useful for research on alcohol-related protective behavioral strategies and consequences, and could also inform the design of educational interventions for promoting the use of protective strategies and reducing alcohol-related negative consequences.

Perceived Novelty Support and Psychological Needs Satisfaction in Physical Education.

In recent years, novelty has been proposed as a potential fourth basic psychological need. In the present study, the behavior of novelty resulting from support from the Physical Education teacher was evaluated in 723 students with an average age of 13.30 years old. The first objective was to validate the Support for Basic Psychological Needs-4 (SBPN-4) in Physical Education questionnaire, which included support for the novelty factor. The second objective was to test the mediation model in order to confirm the effect of support for novelty in relation to basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation. The results obtained show that the Support for Basic Psychological Needs-4 (SBPN-4) questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool. On the other hand, support for novelty predicts satisfaction of basic psychological needs, particularly novelty satisfaction, which in turn predicts intrinsic motivation. These results show how the students are capable of perceiving the teacher's support for novelty and how this positively influences their intrinsic motivation. Further investigations are required to continue developing our knowledge of the role of novelty as a basic psychological need.

Pathological Worry in Portugal: The Portuguese Version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ).

Worry is a common phenomenon with people who anticipate and want to be prepared for future events. Pathological worry, however, is not limited to anticipating potentially dangerous events, but it is applied to small daily events, too. This kind of worry is perceived as uncontrollable, and it is strongly associated with catastrophism. The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) was developed to assess pathological worry. Despite its excellent psychometric characteristics, its internal structure is still controversial. The combination of regular and reversed items and certain methodological considerations may account for the discrepancies in the results of previous investigations. With the aim to analyze worry in Portugal and the psychometric properties of the PSWQ, for the present study, methodological options were considered in order to minimize previous problems. A sample of 558 Portuguese community participants took part in this study. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were performed with two independent random subsamples. The results showed the unidimensionality of PSWQ and the psychometric adequacy of both the full, 16-item version and a reduced, 11-item version (without reversed scored items). Normative data are presented, the suitability of both versions is discussed, and the authors conclude by encouraging the use of the reduced, 11-item version of the PSWQ in applied settings.

Coping strategies and self-esteem in women with breast cancer / Estrategias de afrontamiento y autoestima en mujeres con cáncer de mama

Coping with a breast cancer diagnosis and the use of different strategies is key to overcoming this stressful situation. Various psychological variables are related to how patients cope with the disease, one of which is self-esteem. The current study analyses the how age influences patients with breast cancer in terms of the coping strategies used to deal with the disease, exploring whether self-esteem influences the use of such strategies, along with the possible interrelation between these variables. Self-esteem is studied using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale and coping strategies were assessed using the COPE-28 scale, both in their Spanish versions. The sample consisted of 121 women (with breast cancer), aged between 30 and 77 years (M = 49.33, SD = 8.90). The results indicate that active coping is the strategy with the highest score. We found significant, age-mediated relationships between self-esteem scores and active coping strategies such as positive reframing, acceptance, or use of emotional support. Knowing how to cope with the disease will help in the development of psychological interventions that improve the quality of life in these patients throughout the oncological disease process

El afrontamiento del diagnóstico de cáncer de mama y el uso de diferentes estrategias es clave para superar esta situación estresante. Diversas variables psicológicas están relacionadas con la manera de afrontar la enfermedad, destacando entre ellas la autoestima. Se analiza la influencia que la edad, de las pacientes con cáncer de mama, pueda tener en las estrategias de afrontamiento ante la enfermedad, analizando si la autoestima influye en el uso de las estrategias y observar la posible interrelación entre estas variables. Se evalúa la autoestima mediante Rosenberg Self-Steem Scale y las estrategias de afrontamiento con la escala COPE-28, en sus versiones españolas. La muestra estaba formada por 121 mujeres, con cáncer de mama, y edades entre los 30 y los 77 años (M = 49.33, DT = 8.90). Los resultados muestran que el afrontamiento activo fue la estrategia más utilizada. Se encontraron relaciones significativas, mediadas por la edad, entre las puntuaciones en autoestima y las estrategias de afrontamiento activas, como son la reevaluación positiva, aceptación o el apoyo emocional. Conocer la manera de afrontar la enfermedad ayudará en el desarrollo de intervenciones psicológicas que mejoren la calidad de vida de estas pacientes durante todo el proceso de enfermedad oncológica

Pathological worry in Portugal: the Portuguese version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ)

Worry is a common phenomenon with people who anticipate and want to be prepared for future events. Pathological worry, however, is not limited to anticipating potentially dangerous events, but it is applied to small daily events, too. This kind of worry is perceived as uncontrollable, and it is strongly associated with catastrophism. The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) was developed to assess pathological worry. Despite its excellent psychometric characteristics, its internal structure is still controversial. The combination of regular and reversed items and certain methodological considerations may account for the discrepancies in the results of previous investigations. With the aim to analyze worry in Portugal and the psychometric properties of the PSWQ, for the present study, methodological options were considered in order to minimize previous problems. A sample of 558 Portuguese community participants took part in this study. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were performed with two independent random subsamples. The results showed the unidimensionality of PSWQ and the psychometric adequacy of both the full, 16-item version and a reduced, 11-item version (without reversed scored items). Normative data are presented, the suitability of both versions is discussed, and the authors conclude by encouraging the use of the reduced, 11-item version of the PSWQ in applied settings

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Child/Adolescent's ADHD and Parenting Stress: The Mediating Role of Family Impact and Conduct Problems.

Objective: The demands of parenting are usually associated with some stress, and elevated levels of stress may affect the parent-child relationships and parenting practices. This is especially the case of families where children have special needs conditions or disorders, like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Method: This study examined parenting stress among mothers of children and adolescents with ADHD. The sample comprised 126 mothers of girls (36; 29%) and boys (90; 71%) aged 6-17 years old. Results: Mothers reported their own stress levels as well as the children and adolescents' variables (severity of their ADHD symptoms, conduct, and emotional problems) and family-contextual variables (negative impact on family's social life, impact on couple relationship, and perceived social support). Hierarchical multiple regression showed that (a) negative impact on social life and conduct problems were the strongest predictors of mother's stress. Bootstrap mediation analyses revealed that (b) the association between child and adolescent's ADHD and parenting stress was mediated by children's conduct problems and by negative impact on family's social life, and not by children's emotional problems nor by mother's perceived social support. The mediation analysis also suggested (c) a pathway from child/adolescent's ADHD through children's conduct problems and then through their negative impact on family's social life to mother's parenting stress. Conclusion: These results suggest that both child/adolescent's and family factors should be considered in the designing of interventions for reducing parenting stress in families of children and adolescents with ADHD.

Psychometric properties and adaptation of the ASRS in a Spanish sample of patients with substance use disorders: Application of two IRT Rasch models.

The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS; Kessler et al., 2005) is one of the most extensively used scales to detect attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults. The aim of this work is to analyze the psychometric properties of the 18 ASRS items in people with substance use disorders (SUDs). Furthermore, we aimed to (a) confirm or, if necessary, modify the dichotomization criteria of the items proposed by the authors, and (b) identify the most informative items for a screening version or, when applicable, confirm the use of the 6 items that comprise the initially proposed short version. The ASRS was completed for 170 patients with SUD at the Provincial Unit for Drug Dependence of Huelva, Spain, aged 16 to 78 years. Two Rasch models­the dichotomous Rasch model and the Rating Scale Model (RSM) for polytomous items­were used in the psychometric analysis. The ASRS items fitted the RSM adequately, but the locations of the items along the underlying construct led us to propose new criteria of dichotomization. After analyzing the information function of dichotomized items, we identified 6 items that should integrate a new screening scale. Our dichotomization proposal is different from the original one and takes into account the different weights of the items. The selected screening version showed better metric properties than the other analyzed versions. Future research should test our proposal by using external criteria and to obtain evidences for other populations, cultures, or patient profiles.