Examining the Influence of Impairment Type on the Development of Paralympic Sport Athletes.

Research has recently examined the role of impairment onset on athlete development in Paralympic sport; however, less is known on how impairment type can impact athlete sporting pathways. In this study, 187 Australian and Canadian Paralympic sport athletes completed a survey. Participants were divided into the following four groups: impaired muscle power (n = 79); ataxia, athetosis, and hypertonia (n = 44); limb deficiencies (n = 42); and other physical impairments (n = 22). Mechanisms of initiation into Paralympic sport varied between groups with some drawn to sport through friends and/or family (i.e., limb deficiencies and other physical impairments groups) while others through talent search programs (i.e., ataxia, athetosis, and hypertonia group) or health care professionals/rehabilitation centers (i.e., impaired muscle power group). Results revealed no significant differences between groups in the chronological age or absolute years for achieving milestones. However, considering the high variability within the sample, more research is necessary to better understand how athletes with different physical impairments navigate through their sporting careers.

A Season-Long Examination of Team Structure and Its Implications for Subgroups in Individual Sport.

The authors explored how sport structure predisposed a team to subgroup formation and influenced athlete interactions and team functioning. A season-long qualitative case study was undertaken with a nationally ranked Canadian track and field team. Semistructured interviews were conducted with coaches (n = 4) and athletes (n = 11) from different event groups (e.g., sprinters, jumpers) at the beginning and at the end of the season. The results highlighted constraints that directly impacted athlete interactions and predisposed the group to subgroup formation (e.g., sport/event type, facility/schedule limitations, team size/change over time). The constraints led to structural divides that impacted interactions but could be overcome through team building, engaging with leaders, and prioritizing communication. These findings underline how structure imposed by the design of sports impacts teammate interactions and how practitioners, coaches, and athletes can manage groups when facing such constraints. The authors describe theoretical and practical implications while also proposing potential future directions.

Exploring meanings of successful aging among people with long-term spinal cord injury.

Purpose/Objective: The purpose of the present study was to develop an understanding of successful aging (SA) meanings and influences that is informed by the lived experiences of people aging with long-term spinal cord injury (SCI). Method: This study was conducted in partnership with three Canadian provincial SCI organizations using an integrated knowledge translation (IKT) approach. To ensure findings were meaningful and practical to the three SCI organizations, the study was grounded in pragmatic philosophical assumptions. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 22 people aging with long-term SCI (minimum 45 years of age; minimum 10-years postinjury). All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and subjected to a reflexive thematic analysis. Results: SA was understood as an interconnected and multifaceted concept that prioritizes health, participation, and independence. Participants discussed how SA was influenced negatively by personal (aging-related complications, intrapersonal emotional distress) and environmental (lack of available resources, differing community priorities) barriers. Participants reported that SA was positively influenced when individuals acted as self-advocates, were prepared and aware of aging-related changes, and maintained strong relationships with others. Conclusions/Implications: This study presents an initial, SCI-specific understanding of meanings and influences on SA. Although there were similarities between our findings and previous SA models, pertinent differences were also identified. Findings highlight that supporting quality participation experiences for people aging with long-term SCI may be an important direction SCI organizations can take to support their membership. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Evaluating the impact of a network of research partnerships: a longitudinal multiple case study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Conducting and/or disseminating research together with community stakeholders (e.g. policy-makers, practitioners, community organisations, patients) is a promising approach to generating relevant and impactful research. However, creating strong and successful partnerships between researchers and stakeholders is complex. Thus far, an in-depth understanding of how, when and why these research partnerships are successful is lacking. The aim of this study is to evaluate and explain the outcomes and impacts of a national network of researchers and community stakeholders over time in order to gain a better understanding of how, when and why research partnerships are successful (or not). METHODS: This longitudinal multiple case study will use data from the Canadian Disability Participation Project, a large national network of researchers and community stakeholders working together to enhance community participation among people with physical disabilities. To maximise the impact of research conducted within the Canadian Disability Participation Project network, researchers are supported in developing and implementing knowledge translation plans. The components of the RE-AIM framework (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance) will guide this study. Data will be collected from different perspectives (researchers, stakeholders) using different methods (logs, surveys, timeline interviews) at different time points during the years 2018-2021. A combination of data analysis methods, including network analysis and cluster analysis, will be used to study the RE-AIM components. Qualitative data will be used to supplement the findings and further understand the variation in the RE-AIM components over time and across groups. DISCUSSION: The outcomes, impacts and processes of conducting and disseminating research together with community stakeholders will be extensively studied. The longitudinal design of this study will provide a unique opportunity to examine research partnerships over time and understand the underlying processes using a variety of innovative research methods (e.g. network analyses, timeline interviews). This study will contribute to opening the 'black box' of doing successful and impactful health research in partnership with community stakeholders. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/kj5xa/ .

Are all sport activities equal? A systematic review of how youth psychosocial experiences vary across differing sport activities.

OBJECTIVE: Models of sport development often support the assumption that young athletes' psychosocial experiences differ as a result of seemingly minor variations in how their sport activities are designed (eg, participating in team or individual sport; sampling many sports or specialising at an early age). This review was conducted to systematically search sport literature and explore how the design of sport activities relates to psychosocial outcomes. DESIGN: Systematic search, followed by data extraction and synthesis. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were applied and a coding sheet was used to extract article information and code for risk of bias. DATA SOURCES: Academic databases and manual search of peer-reviewed journals. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Search criteria determined eligibility primarily based on the sample (eg, ages 7 through 17 years) and study design (eg, measured psychosocial constructs). RESULTS: 35 studies were located and were classified within three categories: (1) sport types, (2) sport settings, and (3) individual patterns of sport involvement. These studies represented a wide range of scores when assessed for risk of bias and involved an array of psychosocial constructs, with the most prevalent investigations predicting outcomes such as youth development, self-esteem and depression by comparing (1) team or individual sport participants and (2) youth with varying amounts of sport involvement. SUMMARY/CONCLUSION: As variations in sport activities impact youth sport experiences, it is vital for researchers to carefully describe and study these factors, while practitioners may use the current findings when designing youth sport programmes.

Examining social identity and intrateam moral behaviours in competitive youth ice hockey using stimulated recall.

Social identity - identity formed through membership in groups - may play an important role in regulating intrateam moral behaviour in youth sport (Bruner, M. W., Boardley, I., & Côté, J. (2014). Social identity and prosocial and antisocial behavior in youth sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 15(1), 56-64. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2013.09.003). The aim of this study was to qualitatively examine this potential role through stimulated recall interviews with competitive youth-ice-hockey players. Twenty-three players (Mage = 13.27 years, SD = 1.79) who reported engaging in high, median or low frequency of antisocial teammate behaviour (determined through pre-screening with the Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviour in Sport Scale [Kavussanu, M., & Boardley, I. D. (2009). The prosocial and antisocial behavior in sport scale. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 31(1), 97-117. doi:10.1123/jsep.31.1.97]) were recruited from eight youth-ice-hockey teams in Canada. Interviews involved participants recalling their thoughts during prosocial/antisocial interactions with teammates, prompted by previously recorded video sequences of such incidents. Thematic analysis of interview data revealed all athletes - regardless of reported frequency of intrateam antisocial behaviour - felt prosocial interactions with teammates enhanced social identity. In contrast, the perceived influence of antisocial teammate behaviour on social identity differed depending on athletes' reported frequency of intrateam antisocial behaviour; those reporting low and median frequencies described how such behaviour undermines social identity, whereas athletes reporting high frequency did not perceive this effect. The study findings highlight the potential importance of intrateam moral behaviour and social identity for youth-sport team functioning.

The first-generation whole-genome radiation hybrid map in the horse identifies conserved segments in human and mouse genomes.

A first-generation radiation hybrid (RH) map of the equine (Equus caballus) genome was assembled using 92 horse x hamster hybrid cell lines and 730 equine markers. The map is the first comprehensive framework map of the horse that (1) incorporates type I as well as type II markers, (2) integrates synteny, cytogenetic, and meiotic maps into a consensus map, and (3) provides the most detailed genome-wide information to date on the organization and comparative status of the equine genome. The 730 loci (258 type I and 472 type II) included in the final map are clustered in 101 RH groups distributed over all equine autosomes and the X chromosome. The overall marker retention frequency in the panel is approximately 21%, and the possibility of adding any new marker to the map is approximately 90%. On average, the mapped markers are distributed every 19 cR (4 Mb) of the equine genome--a significant improvement in resolution over previous maps. With 69 new FISH assignments, a total of 253 cytogenetically mapped loci physically anchor the RH map to various chromosomal segments. Synteny assignments of 39 gene loci complemented the RH mapping of 27 genes. The results added 12 new loci to the horse gene map. Lastly, comparison of the assembly of 447 equine genes (256 linearly ordered RH-mapped and additional 191 FISH-mapped) with the location of draft sequences of their human and mouse orthologs provides the most extensive horse-human and horse-mouse comparative map to date. We expect that the foundation established through this map will significantly facilitate rapid targeted expansion of the horse gene map and consequently, mapping and positional cloning of genes governing traits significant to the equine industry.