Coach development programmes to improve interpersonal coach behaviours: a systematic review using the re-aim framework

An integrative review of parent education approaches in sport: Considerations for program planning and evaluation

In recent years, there has been an increase in the delivery and evaluation of parent education programs within youth sport. Subsequently, some recent reviews of these programs have been conducted. However, one consistent issue across many of the programs and associated review papers is the lack of an appropriate evaluation framework to guide the planning or associated reporting of the outcomes of the interventions. This has limited understanding of the overall impact of sport parenting interventions. Thus, the purposes of the current study were as follows: (a) to identify commonalities in the reporting and evaluation of parent education programs; (b) to identify gaps in the reporting and evaluation of parent education programs; (c) to draw these insights together to provide suggestions regarding how the RE-AIM could be used to enhance planning and evaluation of evidence-based programs for parent education in sport. Specifically, utilizing the RE-AIM framework to provide insights into pertinent evaluation metrics, this integrative review aimed to identify commonalities and gaps in the reporting of parent education programs. The RE-AIM framework considers the essential elements to assess the external and internal validity of interventions through five dimensions: Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (Am J Public Health. 1999;89(9):1322-1327). Subsequently, the review aimed to provide suggestions regarding strategies to enhance the planning and evaluation of evidence-based programs for parent education in sport. Overall, the analysis demonstrated that most studies presented some pertinent evaluation information related to the RE-AIM framework, such as the number of participants and contacts made, the measures used, and the program level. However, the studies also lacked information on participant exclusion criteria, the method used to select the delivery agent (e.g., parents engaged in the program), and cost measures. Overall, the current study identified various areas where programs could be enhanced, specifically related to reporting procedural elements (e.g., program design, target population, and costs) pertaining to the implementation of parent education programs.

The effects of interpersonal development programmes with sport coaches and parents on youth athlete outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Interpersonal coach-and parent development programmes (CDP and PDP, respectively), have the goal to foster positive youth sport experiences through high-quality relations between coaches, parents, and youth athletes. In this paper we systematically reviewed the extant literature and estimate the overall magnitude of such programmes and how they can inform future interventions. Specifically, we aimed to: (a) conduct a systematic review on the literature of interpersonal CDPs and PDPs within the youth sport context; (b) examine the effects of such interventions on youth athlete outcomes via a meta-analysis. English written peer-reviewed publications and grey literature was identified through electronic search in databases and manual searches of reference lists. By utilising a priori criteria for inclusion and exclusion, 33 studies describing interpersonal CDPs, and PDPs were identified in the systematic review. Studies that presented required data for estimation of Hedge's g effect sizes were included in the meta-analysis (k = 27). By and large, the included studies used a quasi-experimental design (58%), sampled from team sports (79%), and reported several delivery methods (e.g., workshops, audio feedback, observations, peer group discussions) and outcome measures (e.g., anxiety, autonomous motivation, self-confidence). Some interventions were based on the same delivery protocols (e.g., Coach Effectiveness Training, Mastery Approach to Coaching) or theoretical frameworks (e.g., Achievement Goal Theory, Self-Determination Theory). The meta-analysis showed statistically significant small, and medium, effect sizes on a subsample of youth athlete outcomes (e.g., task-related climate, fun and enjoyment, anxiety), indicating that coach interpersonal skills can contribute to positive youth sport experiences. Theory-based interpersonal CDPs and PDPs are recommended to expand the knowledge in this field of research.

A six-country study of coaches' perspectives of girls' body image concerns in sport and intervention preferences: Template analysis of survey and focus group data

Coaches are a key influence of athletes' body image, but often feel ill-equipped to address body image concerns and can perpetuate harmful body ideals. Limited research has investigated coaches' attitudes and beliefs and few effective resources are available. The current study explored coaches' perspectives of body image among girls in sport, as well as their preferences for body image interventions. Thirty-four coaches (41% women; Mage=31.6 yrs; SD=10.5) from France, India, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States took part in semi-structured focus groups and completed an online survey. Template analysis of survey and focus group data resulted in eight first-order themes grouped under three categories: (1) perspectives of body image among girls in sport (objectification and surveillance, impact of puberty, the role of the coach); (2) preferences for intervention design (content of the intervention, accessibility of the intervention, incentives for taking part); and (3) cross-cultural considerations (acknowledging your privilege, cultural and societal norms). Two integrative themes were defined: (1) girls' disengagement from sport and (2) the role of community. Coaches perceived body image to be a significant barrier for girls in sport and a need to address this in a formal and accessible intervention.

Universal prevention through a digital health platform reduces injury incidence in youth athletics (track and field): a cluster randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVES

To examine whether universal prevention via a digital health platform can reduce the injury incidence in athletics athletes aged 12-15 years and if club size had an influence on the effect of the intervention.

METHODS

This was a cluster randomised trial where young athletics athletes were randomised through their club following stratification by club size into intervention (11 clubs; 56 athletes) and control (10 clubs; 79 athletes) groups. The primary endpoint was time from baseline to the first self-reported injury. Intervention group parents and coaches were given access to a website with health information adapted to adolescent athletes and were encouraged to log in and explore its content during 16 weeks. The control group continued training as normal. Training exposure and injury data were self-reported by youths/parents every second week, that is, eight times. The primary endpoint data were analysed using the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyse the second study aim with intervention status and club size included in the explanatory models.

RESULTS

The proportion of completed training reports was 85% (n=382) in the intervention group and 86% (n=545) in the control group. The injury incidence was significantly lower (HR=0.62; χ²=3.865; p=0.049) in the intervention group. The median time to first injury was 16 weeks in the intervention group and 8 weeks in the control group. An interaction effect between the intervention and stratification factor was observed with a difference in injury risk between athletes in the large clubs in the intervention group versus their peers in the control group (HR 0.491 (95% CI 0.242 to 0.998); p=0.049).

CONCLUSIONS

A protective effect against injury through universal access to health information adapted for adolescent athletes was observed in youth athletics athletes. The efficacy of the intervention was stronger in large clubs.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03459313.

Developing and evaluating a peer-based mental health literacy intervention with adolescent athletes

Widespread adolescent involvement in organized sport means that sport contexts are well-suited to 'actively' integrate prevention programs that may promote population-level change. This mixed methods study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a peer-based mental health literacy intervention. The intervention (i.e., Team Talk) was presented to eleven adolescent sport teams in the United States, with a total of 174 participants. Athlete participants completed surveys immediately before and after the intervention-including measures of workshop acceptability, social identity, and help-seeking behaviors. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with a subset of five athletes, nine parents, and two coaches. With respect to recruitment as an indicator of feasibility, club-level adoption of the intervention was low, with difficulty recruiting clubs for intervention delivery. This signals that feasibility of the intervention-as it is currently designed and implemented by the research team-is low when considering similar competitive adolescent sport clubs and delivered as team-level workshops. Meanwhile, participants reported high acceptability of the intervention, and acceptability levels across participants was predicted by contextual factors related to implementation such as session duration. Regarding limited efficacy testing with measures completed before and after the intervention session: (a) social identity scores increased following the intervention, and (b) significant differences were not identified regarding efficacy to recognize symptoms of mental disorders. Athlete, coach, and parent interview responses also described potential adaptations to mental health programs. This research demonstrates the potential utility of peer-based mental health literacy interventions, while also revealing that further implementation research is necessary to adapt mental health literacy interventions to suit diverse adolescent sport contexts.

A Coach Development Program: A Guided Online Reflective Practice Intervention Study

Coaches can influence athlete outcomes, such as performance and personal development; yet, coaches themselves are learners in their own right, who seek to develop their coaching craft. Reflective practice is essential for coaches' development; however, coaches might engage and benefit from reflective practice in myriad ways. This study aimed to evaluate if online reflective journaling (ORJ) enhances the depth of reflection of sports coaches in a 4-week coach development programme (CDP). Participants were a convenience sample of 83 sports coaches from several sports, divided into an intervention group (N = 42) and a control group (N = 41). Data collection used a mixed-methods approach, examining a CDP focused on the coaches' reflective practice. The results revealed that reflection was the only dependent variable that showed significant differences over time. Participation in ORJ showed positive effects on reflection in both groups; however, only the experimental group was statistically significant. For this sample, ORJ was found to help enhance coaches' reflection towards critical reflection. All texts included in pre-, post-, and follow-up tests were coded for trustworthiness purposes. This finding supports the potential of ORJ in nurturing reflective practice, which is considered a core competency in becoming a successful sports coach.

Adopting Evaluative Conditioning to Improve Coach-Athlete Relationships

Coach–athlete relationships are key to athletes’ well-being, development, training, and sports performance. The present study explored the effect of an evaluative conditioning (EC) intervention on the improvement of coach–athlete relationships. We applied a 6-week EC intervention to the athletes in a volleyball team with two of their coaches involved in the EC while the third coach taken as control. In the EC, we repeatedly presented the coaches’ facial images (i.e., conditioned stimuli) together with positively valenced pictures and words (i.e., unconditioned stimuli) to the athletes. The results showed that the EC intervention led the athletes to recognize their coaches’ neutral faces as showing more happiness, respond faster to coach-positive associations in the implicit association test (IAT), and give higher ratings to the coaches in the Coach–Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q). The present study suggests that EC may be adopted as an effective intervention for coach–athlete relationships, altering athletes’ affective associations with their coaches to be more positive and improving their explicitly evaluation of the relationship.

Effects of a Mentor Program for Coaches on the Coach-Athlete Relationship

The present study was designed to explore the effects of a one-year coach education program on coaches’ perceptions of their communication skills and co-orientation of their coach-athlete relationships. The study was designed with an experimental group and a control group. The experiment group consisted of 66 coaches (and 295 athletes) who received formal mentoring and the control group consisted of 41 coaches (and 148 athletes) who did not receive any mentoring. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling with autoregressive cross-lagged analysis. Results from the self-reported questionnaire at pre-test and post-test showed that the reciprocity of the coach-athlete relationships was not statistically significant. However, coaches’ experience of change in attention skills from the pre-test to the post-test positively predicted changes in their own perception of the coach-athlete relationship, whereas this association was not significant in the athletes’ perceptions. Moreover, the coach education programme increased coaches’ perception of their relational bonds with their athletes, but this increase did not correspond with an increase in athletes’ perception of the relational bonds with their coach. Practical implications and suggestions for further research are discussed in light of these findings.

The Knowledge Map of Sport and Exercise Psychology: An Integrative Perspective

The present work contains a personal perspective on what sport and exercise psychology (SEP) is today. It is a global synthesis of research about psychological aspects related to the context and practice of sport and exercise. The intended impact was to positively influence teaching SEP to students, to promote interdisciplinary research and practice, and to assist the development of SEP as an applied science by helping experts develop a more holistic view of the field. Over 650 theoretical and review articles about psychological concepts in connection to sport and exercise were read in the process of creating a conceptual model that reflects the essence of SEP and leads to a conceptualization of SEP based on research topics. The result was a knowledge map of SEP made up of four main research clusters: biopsychological descriptors, external variables, psychological skills, and applied SEP practice. In terms of interdisciplinarity, the present perspective on SEP suggests that sport and exercise can be used as a research paradigm or natural laboratory to study psychological aspects relevant to various scientific fields, and that sport and exercise can be used as a therapeutic framework in response to challenges that researchers and practitioners in these fields are typically addressing.