ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Depressive symptoms are prevalent in student-athletes. Evidence for the factorial validity of measures assessing depressive symptoms in student-athletes is presently absent from the literature. This study examined the best fitting factorial structure and invariance across sexes of the PHQ-9. METHODS: Data were collected from 1,524 student-athletes from institutions in the North-Eastern United States. Confirmatory factor analyses of 4 factorial structures of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were conducted, followed by invariance analyses across sexes. RESULTS: All tested models showed an excellent fit for all tested models and a unidimensional model of the PHQ-9 was chosen for further analyses. Metric and scalar invariance for the identified model across sexes was supported. The participants in this study reported an unusually low (3.13%) prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms, which may indicate underreporting of symptoms. CONCLUSION: Using a unidimensional, composite score via the PHQ-9 is a valid assessment of depressive symptoms in male and female student-athletes.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Soccer requires athletes to make quick decisions in dynamic environments. Several off-court technology-based interventions have been developed to train these perceptual cognitive skills. However, the evidence for training transfer using technologies to athletic performance has been sparse. Previous research found 3-dimensional multiple object tracking (3D MOT) training to cause a significant increase in quality of passing decision-making. Limitations to the research warrant further investigation of this association. PURPOSE: To re-examine the effectiveness of 3D MOT on training decision-making. METHODS: Thirty-one NCAA Division III soccer players (female n = 16) were randomized to 3D MOT training or a control task. The experimental group received 10 training sessions over a span of 4 weeks. RESULTS: The manipulation check indicated a significant training effect in 3D MOT performance for the intervention but not the control group (F(1,29) = 21.46, p < .001, np2 = .43). Non-significant changes with small effect sizes (np2 = .01-.03) in decision-making and measures of near-transfer were found. CONCLUSION: The findings challenge the association between 3D MOT training and increased quality of decision-making in soccer.
Subject(s)
Athletic Performance , Soccer , Athletes , Athletic Performance/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Soccer/psychologyABSTRACT
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: Review the operational definitions of health and wellness coaching as published in the peer-reviewed medical literature. BACKGROUND: As global rates of preventable chronic diseases have reached epidemic proportions, there has been an increased focus on strategies to improve health behaviors and associated outcomes. One such strategy, health and wellness coaching, has been inconsistently defined and shown mixed results. METHODS: A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)-guided systematic review of the medical literature on health and wellness coaching allowed for compilation of data on specific features of the coaching interventions and background and training of coaches. RESULTS: Eight hundred abstracts were initially identified through PubMed, with 284 full-text articles ultimately included. The majority (76%) were empirical articles. The literature operationalized health and wellness coaching as a process that is fully or partially patient-centered (86% of articles), included patient-determined goals (71%), incorporated self-discovery and active learning processes (63%) (vs more passive receipt of advice), encouraged accountability for behaviors (86%), and provided some type of education to patients along with using coaching processes (91%). Additionally, 78% of articles indicated that the coaching occurs in the context of a consistent, ongoing relationship with a human coach who is trained in specific behavior change, communication, and motivational skills. CONCLUSIONS: Despite disparities in how health and wellness coaching have been operationalized previously, this systematic review observes an emerging consensus in what is referred to as health and wellness coaching; namely, a patient-centered process that is based upon behavior change theory and is delivered by health professionals with diverse backgrounds. The actual coaching process entails goal-setting determined by the patient, encourages self-discovery in addition to content education, and incorporates mechanisms for developing accountability in health behaviors. With a clear definition for health and wellness coaching, robust research can more accurately assess the effectiveness of the approach in bringing about changes in health behaviors, health outcomes and associated costs that are targeted to reduce the global burden of chronic disease.
