Evaluation of a resilience training program for college student-athletes: A pilot study

The effects of life skills of Korean college student athletes on adaptation and satisfaction in college life

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of college student athletes' life skills on adaptation and life satisfaction.

PARTICIPANTS

246 college student athletes (Mage = 20.24 ± 1.11; 75% of males) who were registered in the Korea Sports Association in South Korea.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study design was used. College student athletes completed self-reported surveys in 2019. Study variables include life skills, adaptation to college, and life satisfaction as performed by bivariate analysis, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis.

RESULTS

Life skills, adaptation to college, and life satisfaction were partially correlated to each other and differed by gender and sport types (p < .05-.01). College student athletes' life skills were significant predictors of adaptation to college life and life satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Developing and establishing life skills programs in and outside of campus may help promoting college student athletes' well-being.

The mediating effect of resilience on mental health literacy and positive coping style among Chinese empty nesters: A cross-sectional study

Objectives

Empty nesters in China have limited mental health literacy (MHL), which may lead to poorer health outcomes. Studies demonstrate that MHL is associated with both resilience and positive coping style. However, the potential mechanism of MHL, resilience and positive coping style remain unclear. Therefore, the study aims to investigate the possible mediating role of resilience in the relationship between MHL and positive coping style.

Method

In this cross-sectional study, a total of 363 empty nesters from Huzhou, China were surveyed in 2022. The Chinese version of Mental Health Literacy Scale (C-MHLS), the Chinese version of 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ-19) were used to assess MHL, resilience, and positive coping style, respectively.

Results

Positive coping style was significantly correlated with MHL and resilience, and MHL was positively correlated with resilience (p < 0.01). MHL can significantly and positively predict the positive coping style, and resilience played a partial intermediary role between MHL and positive coping style, with the intermediary effect of 77.36%.

Conclusion

This study indicates that MHL not only directly affected positive coping style, but also indirectly influences positive coping style by increasing the resilience of empty nesters. The results provide an empirical evidence for the development of intervention programs to improve positive coping style directly and indirectly. Consequently, community health servicers should take targeted measures which focus on MHL and resilience as breakthrough points to stimulate positive coping style of empty nesters, and ultimately achieve their overall well-being.

Symptoms of mental illness among university student-athletes during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown disrupted the university sports season and had negative consequences on the academic and personal life of university student-athletes, resulting in several psychological challenges. The goal of this study is to document the symptoms of mental illness among university student-athletes during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Canada. It aims to (a) assess the prevalence of mental illness symptoms (anxiety, depression, disordered eating, and dangerous drinking) among university student-athletes and (b) identify which sociodemographic and sports characteristics, pandemic impacts, and levels of perceived stress most influence these symptoms. A total of 424 university student-athletes completed an online survey, which included questions on mental illness and the impact of the pandemic lockdown. The results revealed a notable prevalence of the symptoms of mental illness; depressive symptoms are reported by 37.9% of the participants, anxiety symptoms by 24.9%, dangerous drinking symptoms by 10.1%, and disordered eating by 8.6%. In addition, being female [OR = 0.56, 95% CI (0.33, 0.95)] or a member of a visible minority group [OR = 2.63, 95% CI (1.02, 6.78)] are significantly associated with the presence of depressive symptoms. Low academic motivation has a significant negative influence on the presence of depressive [OR = 3.37, 95% CI (1.82, 6.25)] and anxiety symptoms [OR = 2.75, 95% CI (1.35, 5.62)]. However, the presence of perceived stress was strongly associated with depressive [OR = 7.07, 95% CI (3.26, 15.35)], anxiety [OR = 6.51, 95% CI (3.30, 12.84)], and dangerous drinking symptoms [OR = 5.74, 95% CI (2.51, 13.14)]. This study advocates for specific mental illness prevention and treatment resources tailored to the unique needs of university student-athletes. Accordingly, partnerships and practical interventions to support university student-athletes' mental health are presented.

Relationships Between Resilience, Mental Well-Being, and COVID-19 Worries in Collegiate Student-Athletes

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with robust declines in well-being for collegiate student-athletes. Worries about COVID-19 have frequently been associated with worsening well-being; therefore, it is important to examine protective factors against well-being decrements. Resilience, one's ability to respond to stress and adversity, may be one such factor. Despite this possible influence, resilience has not yet been studied in student-athletes in this context as the pandemic has progressed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the moderating role of resilience on the relationship between COVID-19 worries and well-being. In this cross-sectional design, National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III athletes (N = 91) at one university completed surveys on COVID-19 worries, resilience, and well-being between February and March 2021. All competitions had been postponed until the Spring 2021 semester. The findings revealed a negative correlation between COVID-19 worries and well-being (r = -0.21, p = 0.05) and a positive correlation between resilience and well-being (r = 0.44, p < 0.001). Additionally, multiple regression and simple slopes analyses showed that individuals with higher resilience endorsed greater scores of well-being, even when COVID-19 worries increased (β = 0.38, p = 0.02). In conclusion, our results suggest that resilience had a moderating effect on the relationship between COVID-19 worries and well-being.

Examining the Effects of Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment Training on Self-Compassion and Grit among Elite Female Athletes

BACKGROUND

Mindfulness-based interventions are well-established in the field of psychotherapy, and such interventions have also gained increased attention in the field of sport psychology, either to cope with psychological pressure or to improve an athlete's performance. The goal of the present study was to examine whether a Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) program could increase self-compassion and grit among elite female athletes compared to an active control condition. To this end, we performed a randomized trial among female adult athletes.

METHODS

Forty female adult athletes (M_age = 22.22, SD = 2.40) were randomly assigned either to the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment group (n = 20; 7 group sessions, 60 min each) or the active control group (n = 20; 7 group sessions, 60 min each). At baseline, seven weeks later at the end of the study and again four weeks later at follow-up, participants completed a series of self-rating questionnaires on mindfulness, self-compassion and grit.

RESULTS

Dimensions of mindfulness, self-compassion and grit improved over time, but more so in the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment condition compared to the active control condition. Improvements remained stable from the study end to follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

While the active control condition improved dimensions of mindfulness, self-compassion and grit among female adult athletes, improvements were much stronger in the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment condition. Importantly, improvements in the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment condition remained stable over a time lapse of four weeks at follow-up after study completion, suggesting that the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment intervention appeared to improve cognitive-emotional learning processes.