Therése Skoog

The mediational role of perceived stress in the relation between optimism and burnout in competitive athletes.

Abstract Burnout has been highlighted as an important issue, not only in occupational settings but also among athletes. Optimists appear to be more resistant to burnout, which might be partly explained by lower levels of stress. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between optimism and burnout symptoms in 217 athletes (139 males and 78 females, aged 16 to 19 years), while also examining stress as a mediator in this relationship. The results showed that optimism had a significant negative relationship with both stress and burnout. Mediation analyses indicated that perceived stress fully mediated the links between optimism and two symptoms of burnout, emotional/physical exhaustion and sport devaluation, and partly mediated the link between optimism and a third symptom, reduced sense of accomplishment. The findings indicate that individual factors, such as optimism, may play an important role in the development of burnout by virtue of their association with stress. Future research should, therefore, investigate the longitudinal effects of optimism on stress and burnout.

Adolescent girls’ and boys’ well-being in relation to online and offline sexual and romantic activity

The aims of this study were to determine links between adolescent’s well-being and their sexual and romantic activities off- and online. The study includes 245 mid-adolescents (15 years of age; 55 % girls) and 251 late-adolescents (18 years of age; 49 % girls). Of the 496 teenagers, 54 % had experiences of both online and offline sexual and romantic activities, while the remaining (46 %) had only offline experiences. Teenagers’ experiences with online sexual/romantic activities were associated with experiences of offline sexual/romantic activities. Multiple regressions showed that age (older) and risk behaviour contributed to higher engagement in offline sexual/romantic activities. In contrast, only higher risk behaviour contributed to higher engagement in online sexual/romantic activities for boys, but for girl several factors, such as age (younger), lower body esteem, higher risk- and problem behaviour contributed to higher engagement in online sexual/romantic activities. We discuss this result from a gender perspective.

Female pubertal timing and problem behaviour The role of culture

We tested the peer-socialization/contextual-amplification explanation for the link between early female puberty and problem behaviour. We propose that in cultures with high tolerance for adolescent heterosexual involvement, early puberty should be linked with problem behaviour—not in other cultures. We compared girls in two cultures (Slovakia and Sweden) that differ in acceptance of adolescent girls’ heterosexual involvement. Findings supported the hypothesis by showing that in Sweden, a culture that facilitates adolescent heterosexual involvement, early-maturing girls reported more problem behaviours than in Slovakia. The mediation link (heterosexual involvement as the mechanism linking early puberty with problem behaviour) was moderated by culture. The findings expand our understanding of the role of macro-cultural contexts in the developmental significance of female puberty.

Need satisfaction, motivation, and engagement among high-performance youth athletes: A multiple mediation analysis

The purpose of this investigation was to examine whether the various types of motivation articulated in self-determination theory (SDT) mediated the relationship between basic need satisfaction (i.e. competence, autonomy, and relatedness) and athlete engagement. Four types of motivation as assessed by the Situational Motivation Scale including intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, external regulation, and amotivation were examined as mediators of the need satisfaction–engagement relationship. Swedish downhill skiers (N = 192; n = 95 males, n = 97 females) aged 15–20 years completed questionnaires assessing the study variables of interest. Mediation analyses revealed that all four motivational regulations were significant partial mediators of the relationship between autonomy support and engagement. Moreover, except for external regulation, all three motivational regulations fully mediated the association between relatedness and engagement. Finally, intrinsic motivation and identified regulation partially mediated the relationship between competence and engagement. Findings support SDT contentions highlighting the importance of self-determined forms of motivation in mediating need satisfaction and engagement. The mediation patterns and directions for future research are discussed.

Boys’ Pubertal Timing Measured on the Pubertal Development Scale is Linked to Online Sexual Activities

ABSTRACT. We explored the link between boys’ pubertal timing and offline and online romantic and sexual activities using a sample of 142 Swedish early adolescent boys. Boys reported on two aspects of pubertal timing, a stage-normative (measured by five indicators of physical development related to puberty) and a peer-normative, and on offline and online romantic and sexual activities. Both aspects of pubertal timing was related to being romantically and sexually active offline, but only the stage-normative measure was linked to corresponding activities online. Thus, the implications of stage-normative pubertal timing on sexual activities seem to extend to online contexts.

Explaining Why Early-Maturing Girls Are More Exposed to Sexual Harassment in Early Adolescence

In this study, we tested two competing explanations of the previously established link between early female puberty and sexual harassment in early adolescence. The sample included 680 seventh-grade Swedish girls (Mage = 13.40, SD = .53). Findings revealed that looking more sexually mature and being sexually active mediated the link between pubertal timing and sexual harassment. The magnitude of the indirect effect through sexually mature appearance was greater than that through engagement in sexual behaviors. Apparently, early-maturing girls are sexually harassed as a result of natural and normative sexual development, which happens earlier than for most of their peers. The findings have clear implications for prevention of sexual harassment in adolescence.

Resistance training is linked to heightened positive motivational state and lower negative affect among healthy women aged 65–70

ABSTRACT Resistance training (RT) improves overall health, but the psychological effects of RT in healthy old adults have not been tested. The aim of this study was to investigate a sample of 65–70-year-old healthy and physically active women to assess their sense of coherence, health-related quality of life, hope, and affect, before and after taking part in a 24-week RT intervention (N = 14), compared to controls (N = 18). Findings showed a significant increase in hope (p = 0.013) and a significant decrease in negative affect (p = 0.002). Starting RT after age 65 does not appear to negatively impact on women’s psychological health but seems to be associated with important psychological health benefits.

Enabling relationship formation, development, and closure in a one-year female mentoring program at a non-governmental organization : a mixed-method study

BackgroundMental health problems among young women aged 16–24 have increased significantly in recent decades, and interventions are called for. Mentoring is a well-established preventative/promotive intervention for developing adolescents, but we have yet to fully understand how the relationship between the mentor and the protégé forms, develops, and closes. In this study, we focused on a female mentoring program implemented by a Swedish non-governmental organization, The Girls Zone. First, we examined the psychological and social characteristics of the young women who chose to take part in the program as protégés. Second, we investigated adolescent female protégés’ own experiences of the relationship process based on a relational-cultural theory perspective.MethodsThe mixed-method study included 52 questionnaires and five semi-structured interviews with young women aged 15–26 who had contacted The Girls Zone between 2010 and 2012 in order to find a mentor. Their experience of the mentoring relationships varied in duration. Data were analysed statistically and with inductive qualitative content analysis.ResultsThe group of protégés was heterogeneous in that some had poor mental health and some had good mental health. On the other hand, the group was homogenous in that all its members had shown pro-active self-care by actively seeking out the program due to experiences of loneliness and a need to meet and talk with a person who could listen to them. The relationships were initially characterized by feelings of nervousness and ambivalence. However, after some time, these developed into authentic, undemanding, non-hierarchical relationships on the protégés’ terms. The closure of relationships aroused feelings of both abandonment and developing strength.ConclusionsMentorships that are in line with perspectives of the relational-cultural theory meet the relationship needs expressed by the female protégés. Mentor training should focus on promoting skills such as active listening and respect for the protégé based on an engaged, empathic, and authentic approach in a non-hierarchical relationship. These insights have the potential to inform interventions in several arenas where young women create authentic relationships with older persons, such as in school, in traditional health care contexts, and in youth recreation centres.

Adolescent and Adult Implications of Girls’ Pubertal Timing

Puberty is the process of becoming sexually mature and it has fundamental somatic and psychosocial implications. The focus of this dissertation was the short and long term developmental significance, concerning both soma et psyche, of female pubertal timing. Four studies were designed to accomplish these aims. Six samples of different ages from different countries and from different time points, comprising several thousand females some of which were followed longitudinally, were used. Age at menarche was used as the primary measure of pubertal maturation. The first main aim of this dissertation was to explore the mechanisms that might explain the well-established link between female pubertal timing and problem behavior, and to identify contextual conditions at which associations are stronger or weaker. Existing explanations are unsatisfactory and little is known about conditions that might affect the strength of the associations. In Paper I, we tested and confirmed a peer socialization hypothesis as a satisfactory explanation for the link between early puberty and problematic adjustment. In short, this hypothesis posits that early developing girls associate with older peers and boyfriends because they feel more mature than their same age peers, and through these peers and boyfriends the early developed girls are channeled into more socially advanced behaviors, including normbreaking. This should be particularly true in contexts where heterosexual relationships are sanctioned and where there is an abundance of deviant youth. In Paper II, I used a biopsychosocial approach and studied pubertal timing along with self-perceptions of maturity and early romantic relationships. The findings revealed that early puberty had very different implications depending on the psychological and social contexts in which it was embedded. For instance, when early puberty was coupled with feeling mature and having early romantic relationships, it was associated with adjustment problems. When early puberty was coupled with neither, it was not linked to particularly high levels of problem behavior. In stark contrast to the vast literature on the role of female pubertal timing in adolescence, the literature on long-term implications is remarkably limited. For this reason, the second main aim of this dissertation was to study the adult implications of female pubertal timing. In Papers III and IV, we examined long term implications of pubertal timing, particularly as it relates to somatic development. The findings suggested that pubertal timing does have future implications for women’s body perception and composition, with early developing females having higher body mass indexes in adulthood, but only under certain circumstances. The findings of this dissertation help further understanding of the soma et psyche implications of female pubertal timing. They indicate that pubertal timing has concurrent and future implications. It seems, however, that timing is not everything. The developmental significance of female pubertal timing appears to be very different under different contextual conditions. Thus, it is only when girls’ psychological and social contexts are considered that fruitful predictions can be made. As such, the findings have important implications for prevention, policy, and practice.

Health resources, ageing and physical activity: a study of physically active women aged 69–75 years

Abstract Most studies on issues relating to ageing, physical activity and health are based on an understanding of what causes illness, rather than what promotes health. The health benefits of physical activity relate to questions about how to avoid physical inactivity and overcoming barriers to participating in physical activity, rather than why older people continue to be physically active. The aim of this study was to explore health resources in relation to physical activity, especially resistance training, that physically active women between the ages of 69–75 years characterise as important for the maintenance of health. In order to investigate these health resources, the study drew on salutogenic theory and the concept of sense of coherence. The analysed data came from interviews with 14 physically active Swedish women aged 69–75 years who had previously taken part in a resistance training intervention, but who also had continued to engage in physical activity and resistance training when the intervention ended. We identified seven health resources, social relations and care, positive energy, self-worth, capability in and about physical activity, the habit of exercising, identity as an exercising person and womanhood related to physical activity, in this case resistance training, that physically active women aged between 69 and 75 years characterised as important for maintaining their health. In conclusion, physical activity carried out in a stable group of peers provided a meaningful, comprehensible and manageable way for these older women to engage in the on-going process of maintaining health.