Damien Clement

Mentoring: Processes and Perceptions of Sport and Exercise Psychology Graduate Students

Although it has been suggested that the process of mentoring provides a number of benefits to graduate students (Kelly & Schweitzer, 1999), documentation of these benefits is limited within sport and exercise psychology (SEP). Therefore, the present study surveyed SEP graduate students (N = 104) in an attempt to understand their mentoring experiences. Results revealed the presence of both formal and informal professional and peer mentoring. Overall, mentors were perceived positively, but multiple regression analysis showed that mentoring towards professional development was most predictive of positive mentoring evaluations. Peer mentoring was found to exist at a much higher rate than has been found in other disciplines. Participants preferred professional mentoring for areas of research and writing productivity, while peer mentoring contributed to their experience as a graduate student. These results preliminarily support the inclusion of mentoring into SEP graduate school programs.

Teacher-practitioner multiple-role issues in sport psychology.

The potential for the occurrence of multiple-role relationships is increased when professors also consult with athletic teams on their campuses. Such multiple-role relationships have potential ethical implications that are unclear and largely unexplored, and consultants may find multiple-role relationships both difficult to deal with and unavoidable. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the nature of teacher–practitioner multiple-role relationships. Participants (N = 35) were recruited from Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP) certified consultants (CCs) who were also affiliated with a university (N = 68). All participants completed a 28-item survey exploring the incidence and relevant issues pertaining to multiple-role relationships. Chi-square analyses revealed that licensed mental health practitioners (i.e., psychologists and counselors) were more likely than nonlicensed AAASP CCs to believe that multiple-role relationships were never appropriate in sport psychology, χ2(1, N = 30) = 12.80, p < .001, and to have never taken part in a multiple-role relationship, χ2(1, N = 33) = 12.44, p < .001. Independent samples t tests revealed that mental health practitioners also reported that they would have higher levels of concern for both the practitioner, t(30) = –2.77, p = .009, and the client, t(30) = –2.50, p = .018, in such a relationship.

Preliminary investigation into sport and exercise psychology consultants’ views and experiences of an interprofessional care team approach to sport injury rehabilitation

ABSTRACT Sport injury rehabilitation has moved from predominately physical treatment to a more holistic care. However, limited research has explored the views and experiences of those involved in such an approach. The purpose of this study was to preliminarily investigate sport psychology consultants’ (SPCs’) views and experiences of an interprofessional team approach to sport injury rehabilitation. A cross-sectional online survey previously used with athletic trainers was distributed via a US-based sport/exercise psychology list-serve (N = 1245). A total of 62 (27 men, 35 women, M age 38.2 years, age range: 22–73 years) participants with 10.6 (SD = 9.8) years of experience as an SPC were included in the final analyses. On average, SPCs felt that it was very important (M = 6.6; SD = 0.6) for athletes to have access to an interprofessional care team. Of the sample, 64.5% (n = 40) typically worked as part of an interprofessional care team 44.7% of the time. The SPCs (n = 28; 45.2%) also indicated that the primary treatment providers (e.g., athletic trainer, physical therapist) were typically serving as the primary point person for such teams. Since gaining entry to sport medicine can be an area SPCs struggle with, building effective working relationships with treatment providers can help promote and increase SPCs involvement in providing holistic, interprofessional care to athletes with injuries. To ensure athletes’ successful biopsychosocial return to sport, different individuals and professionals should work together for the benefit of the athlete by adopting holistic care during sports injury rehabilitation.

Coping strategies of female peer leaders participating in college club sports.

Leadership positions on club sports teams can be valuable roles for undergraduate students, providing the opportunity to develop leadership skills, maintain healthy habits, build friendships, and foster organizational connections in the college setting. Nevertheless, involvement in club sports has the potential to create stress over and above the many demands that college students often experience. The purpose of this study was to identify and explore the ways in which female club sports peer leaders cope with perceived stress. Interviews were conducted with participants (N = 7) using a semi-structured interview guide comprised of five questions grounded in the existing literature on stress and coping. The findings revealed that participants primarily used emotion-focused strategies to cope with stress; strategies such as seeking emotional social support and avoidance were used more frequently than seeking instrumental/information social support. Five specific coping strategies are examined and practical implications are discussed.

Investigating the influence of intra-individual changes in perceived stress symptoms on injury risk in soccer

Research has shown that high levels of stress and stress responsivity can increase the risk of injuries. However, most of the research that has supported this notion has focused on between‐person relationships, ignoring the relationships at the within‐person level. As a result, the objective of this study was to investigate if within‐person changes in perceived stress symptoms over a 1‐month time period could predict injury rates during the subsequent 3 months. A prospective design with two measurement points (Time 1—at the beginning of the season and Time 2—1 month into the season) was utilized. A total of 121 competitive soccer players (85 males and 36 females; Mage = 18.39, SD = 3.08) from Sweden and the United States completed the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (KPDS) and a demographic sheet at Time 1. The KPDS was also completed at Time 2, and all acute injuries that occurred during the subsequent 3‐month period were recorded. A Bayesian latent change scores model was used to determine whether within‐person changes in stress symptoms could predict the risk of injury. Results revealed that there was a credible positive effect of changes in stress symptoms on injury rates, indicating that an increase in reported stress symptoms was related to an increased risk for injury. This finding highlights the importance of creating caring and supportive sporting environments and relationships and teaching stress management techniques, especially during the earlier portion of competitive seasons, to possibly reduce the occurrence of injuries.

A Preliminary Exploration of the Application of Self-Compassion Within the Context of Sport Injury

In a prospective study of collegiate athletes (N = 117), the application of self-compassion within the context of sport injury was explored. Previous literature indicated that self-compassion enhances adaptive coping and well-being and reduces anxiety in stress-provoking situations. This research suggested that it could potentially reduce the stress response and subsequent injury risk. Findings indicated that self-compassion may buffer the experience of somatic anxiety (rs = -.436, p < .01) and worry (rs = -.351, p < .01), and reduce the engagement of avoidance-focused coping strategies (rs = -.362, p < .01). There were no significant findings related to self-compassion and injury reduction. A challenge with this research is distinguishing the impact of resistance to self-compassion from the potential benefits that it may have on coping and appraisal of stress in sport. This research was a preliminary exploration of self-compassion within the context of responses to stress and subsequent injury risk. Results suggest that further investigation across different athletic populations, sports, and injury situations is warranted.