Félix Guillén

A Conceptual Model of Referee Efficacy

This paper presents a conceptual model of referee efficacy, defines the concept, proposes sources of referee specific efficacy information, and suggests consequences of having high or low referee efficacy. Referee efficacy is defined as the extent to which referees believe they have the capacity to perform successfully in their job. Referee efficacy beliefs are hypothesized to be influenced by mastery experiences, referee knowledge/education, support from significant others, physical/mental preparedness, environmental comfort, and perceived anxiety. In turn, referee efficacy beliefs are hypothesized to influence referee performance, referee stress, athlete rule violations, athlete satisfaction, and co-referee satisfaction.

Competitive Anxiety in Expert Female Athletes: Sources and Intensity of Anxiety in National Team and First Division Spanish Basketball Players

State and trait anxiety levels in elite Spanish women basketball players were investigated and possible differences in sources of anxiety identified, comparing National Team and First Division players. 84 players participated (13 National Team members, 71 First Division players). A quantitative/qualitative design was used. Results indicated that National Team members had lower State and Trait Anxiety scores than did the First Division players and both groups had lower scores than established population norms. Playing time was significantly related to State and Trait Anxiety for both groups of players and those who had more minutes of playing time had lower scores. Qualitative analyses indicated that the primary sources of anxiety reported by these athletes related to personal issues pertaining to feeling physically and mentally unprepared for practice and games.

Chronotype, sport participation, and positive personality-trait-like individual differences

Chronotype and sport participation have been found to relate to positive personality-trait-like individual differences (PTLID). To date, research has focused exclusively on the morningness–eveningness dimension of chronotype, and little is known about the relationship between chronotype and various characteristics of sport participation (e.g. training time). This investigation had three primary objectives: (1) to extend the current evidence base by exploring how sport participation and PTLID relate to chronotype amplitude, (2) to explore how chronotype (morningness–eveningness and amplitude) relates to various characteristics of sport training and competition, and (3) to explore the independent and interrelated contribution of sport participation and chronotype to PTLID. The sample included 976 non-athletes (493 women and 483 men) and 974 athletes (478 women and 496 men). Participants completed a battery of questionnaires targeting sport participation characteristics, six positive PTLID (hope, optimism, perseverance, resilience, self-efficacy and trait emotional intelligence) and chronotype dimensions. Results showed that morningness–eveningness was negatively related to positive PTLID but was unrelated to sport participation. Greater diurnal fluctuations (amplitude dimension) were associated with lower positive PTLID values, lower sport participation, and shorter training durations. Positive PTLID were also associated with better sleep quality and a shorter sleep duration. Chronotype (morningness–eveningness and amplitude) and sport participation had independent associations with PTLID. These findings suggest that changes in sport participation and activity times might be a useful approach to developing positive PTLID.

Convergent and construct validity and test-retest reliability of the Caen Chronotype Questionnaire in six languages

ABSTRACT Chronotype questionnaires provide a simple and time-effective approach to assessing individual differences in circadian variations. Chronotype questionnaires traditionally focused on one dimension of chronotype, namely its orientation along a continuum of morningness and eveningness. The Caen Chronotype Questionnaire (CCQ) was developed to assess an additional dimension of chronotype that captures the extent to which individual functioning varies during the day (amplitude). The aim of this study was to provide a multilanguage validation of the CCQ in six world regions (Arabic, Dutch, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish). At Time 1, a total of 2788 participants agreed to take part in the study (Arabic, n = 731; Dutch, n = 538; German, n = 329; Italian, n = 473; Portuguese, n = 361; Spanish, n = 356). Participants completed an assessment of the CCQ together with the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ; Horne & Ostberg 1976) as well as questions related to factors theoretically related to chronotype (age, shift work, physical activity, sleep parameters and coffee consumption). One month later, participants again completed the CCQ. Results showed that the two-factor structure (morningness-eveningness and amplitude) of the CCQ could be replicated in all six languages. However, measurement invariance could not be assumed regarding the factor loadings across languages, meaning that items loaded more on their factors in some translations than in others. Test–retest reliability of the CCQ ranged from unacceptable (German version) to excellent (Dutch, Portuguese). Convergent validity was established through small–medium effect size correlations between the morningness-eveningness dimension of the CCQ and the MEQ. Taken together, our findings generally support the use of the translated versions of the CCQ. Further validation work on the CCQ is required including convergent validation against physiological markers of sleep, health and well-being.

The light quartet: Positive personality traits and approaches to coping in sport coaches

Objectives: Research on coping in sport has focused predominantly on athletes. However, coping is also relevant to coaches who are known to experience much competitive stress. The aim of this investigation was to examine the association between positive personality traits (the light quartet: hope, optimism, perseverance, and resilience) and coping strategies adopted by sport coaches. Design: Cross‐sectional observational study. Method: In total, 2135 Spanish individual and team sport coaches (657 women, 1478 men, mean age = 31.10 years, range = 18–74 years), working in 41 different sports, completed a battery of questionnaires assessing approaches to coping, hope, optimism, perseverance, resilience, and various demographic questions. Results: The data showed that facets of the light quartet were associated with the coping strategies adopted by coaches. Perseverance and resilience were most important for emotional calming and active planning, optimism was most important for mental withdrawal and turning to religion, hope and perseverance were most important for seeking social support, and optimism and perseverance were most important for taking behavioral risks. Some associations between personality and coping were moderated by coach sex and type of sport coached (team vs. individual). Conclusions: The findings of this study provide evidence that positive personality traits are important for coping among sport coaches. Further research using prospective designs and natural experimental methods is encouraged. HIGHLIGHTSThe light quartet: hope, optimism, perseverance, and resilience.Relationships between the light quartet and approaches to coping in sport coaches.The light quartet is associated with the coping strategies adopted by coaches.Some moderations by coach sex and type of sport coached (team vs. individual).