Mercè Boixadós

Relationships among motivational climate, satisfaction, perceived ability, and fair play attitudes in young soccer players.

The present study examined relationships among perceptions of motivational climate, perceived ability, satisfaction and fair play attitudes in young soccer players. Participants were 472 male Catalan players (from 10 to 14 years). Results indicated that perceptions of a task-involving climate were positively associated with satisfaction in practices and self-referenced perceived ability and were inversely related to rough play attitudes and normative perceived ability. In addition, perceptions of an ego-involving motivational climate were related positively with normative perceived ability and with favorable attitudes towards winning in a soccer game. The differences across motivational climate profiles groups revealed that the highest level of acceptance of rough play was found in the subgroup with a low-task/high-ego orientation. In contrast, the lowest level of acceptance of rough play was found in the opposite subgroup of high-task/low-ego. The findings support the importance of creating a task-involving climate in sports.

Impact of Prefrontal Theta Burst Stimulation on Clinical Neuropsychological Tasks

Theta burst stimulation (TBS) protocols hold high promise in neuropsychological rehabilitation. Nevertheless, their ability to either decrease (continuous, cTBS) or increase (intermittent, iTBS) cortical excitability in areas other than the primary motor cortex, and their consistency modulating human behaviors with clinically relevant tasks remain to be fully established. The behavioral effects of TBS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) are particularly interesting given its involvement in working memory (WM) and executive functions (EF), often impaired following frontal brain damage. We aimed to explore the ability of cTBS and iTBS to modulate WM and EF in healthy individuals, assessed with clinical neuropsychological tests (Digits Backward, 3-back task, Stroop Test, and Tower of Hanoi). To this end, 36 participants were assessed using the four tests 1 week prior to stimulation and immediately following a single session of either cTBS, iTBS, or sham TBS, delivered to the left dlPFC. No significant differences were found across stimulation conditions in any of the clinical tasks. Nonetheless, in some of them, active stimulation induced significant pre/post performance modulations, which were not found for the sham condition. More specifically, sham stimulation yielded improvements in the 3-back task and the Color, Color-Word, and Interference Score of the Stroop Test, an effect likely caused by task practice. Both, iTBS and cTBS, produced improvements in Digits Backward and impairments in 3-back task accuracy. Moreover, iTBS increased Interference Score in the Stroop Test in spite of the improved word reading and impaired color naming, whereas cTBS decreased the time required to complete the Tower of Hanoi. Differing from TBS outcomes reported for cortico-spinal measures on the primary motor cortex, our analyses did not reveal any of the expected performance differences across stimulation protocols. However, if one considers independently pre/post differences for each individual outcome measure and task, either one or both of the active protocols appeared to modulate WM and EF. We critically discuss the value, potential explanations, and some plausible interpretations for this set of subtle impacts of left dlPFC TBS in humans.

Testing the Feasibility of DARWeb: An Online Intervention for Children With Functional Abdominal Pain and Their Parents.

Objectives:To test the feasibility of an online intervention (DARWeb) for children with functional abdominal pain and their families. Methods:An online intervention (with 7 units for children and 7 for parents) was developed from a cognitive-behavioral perspective. A total of 15 families were given access to the intervention and asked to rate their satisfaction with each unit and the overall program (using scales from 0 to 10). Moreover, they were interviewed at the end of the program to obtain more information about their impressions of the program. Results:Nine families (60%) completed the entire program. Parents rated each unit above a median of 8; children also rated all of the units except the first 2 above a median of 8. Global ratings were also very positive. Qualitative data reinforce the idea that the participants were quite satisfied with the intervention, they appreciated the fact that it was online, and they learned coping strategies (they were especially happy with relaxation) and to give less importance to pain. Although they appreciated the available resources, they would like to have more multimedia and interactive resources, and some form of professional contact. Parents also suggest that it was a burden (in terms of time) to supervise their children’s progress in the program. Discussion:DARWeb has been shown to be a feasible intervention, and it seems to be well designed. However, some improvements need to be considered based on the experiences of these participating families, and further research should be conducted to test its efficacy.

Analysis of patient organizations' needs and ICT use--The APTIC project in Spain to develop an online collaborative social network.

The purpose of this first part of the APTIC (Patient Organisations and ICT) project is to design and run an online collaborative social network for paediatric patient organizations (PPOs).

Working women's lifestyles and quality of life in the information society.

We investigate the lifestyles of Spanish women workers engaged in the information and communication society and analyze key indicators of lifestyle as predictors of their quality of life. In this study, 207 women aged between 19 and 54 years responded to questions related to daily activities and to a quality-of-life questionnaire. We concluded that Spanish women in this study show regular and healthy habits in diet and prevention behaviors, and we also identify important quality-of-life predicting factors in issues related to personal time management.

Quantitative and qualitative testing of DARWeb: An online self-guided intervention for children with functional abdominal pain and their parents:

The main objective of this study was to preliminary explore the effects of DARWeb on different outcomes. A Quasi-experimental, one-group, pretest–posttest design was used. Parents and children were asked to complete questionnaires and questions (separately) about quality of life, abdominal pain severity, and satisfaction. Semi-structured interviews with families were also performed. This study focuses on 17 families. Results showed that parent’s ratings of children’s abdominal pain severity were significantly lower after finishing the intervention and at the 3-month follow-up, and quality of life scores had increased significantly after 3 months. From children’s ratings, mean abdominal pain severity scores were significantly lower after the intervention compared to the preintervention assessment. Both parents and children were quite satisfied with the intervention. In qualitative interviews, families suggested that DARWeb helped them to give less importance to pain and to learn coping strategies. In conclusion, this study showed the potential usefulness of DARWeb for children with functional abdominal pain and for their parents.