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Li J, Leng Z, Tang K, Na M, Li Y, Shah Alam S. Multidimensional impact of sport types on the psychological well-being of student athletes: A multivariate investigation. Heliyon 2024; 10:e32331. [PMID: 38947484 PMCID: PMC11214501 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The correlation between sports participation and psychological well-being is well-documented, revealing a complex interplay influenced by competition level and cultural context. This is particularly relevant in Korea, where the university sports culture significantly impacts student life. This study evaluates how competitive versus non-competitive sports affect Korean university students' psychological well-being using a quantitative approach with SmartPLS 4 for multi-group analysis. Findings reveal that competitive sports significantly enhance mental toughness and stress management through structured coping mechanisms and robust social support, improving coping strategy effectiveness by 34 % compared to non-competitive sports. Conversely, participants in non-competitive sports experience greater general well-being with a 40 % higher use of informal support. These insights suggest that university sports programs could benefit from targeted interventions incorporating specific coping strategies and social support frameworks tailored to the competitive context. This research underscores the need for precise stress management techniques and resilience-building exercises in sports curricula to optimize psychological well-being across different sports environments in Korean universities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Li
- Dept of Sport & Leisure Studies, Hoseo University, Asan, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea
| | - Zhiyu Leng
- Senior Lecturer, Institute of Disaster Prevention, Hebei Province, 065201, China
| | - Kexin Tang
- Senior Lecturer, Xiangtan Institute of Technology, Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, China
| | - Meng Na
- Graduate School of Business, Universiti Kebangsaan, Malaysia, 43600, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Yixiang Li
- Xiangtan Institute of Technology, Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, China
| | - Syed Shah Alam
- Department of Marketing, College of Business Administration, Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Noh YE, Zaki F, Danaee M. The impact of religious-psychological factors on self-perceived sport performance among religious athletes in Malaysia. PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT AND EXERCISE 2024; 72:102612. [PMID: 38369268 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which religious-psychological factors contribute to self-perceived sport performance among religious athletes. METHODS The participants consisted of 612 athletes (310 males, 302 females) aged 12-70 years (mean age = 25.33; SD = 8.99) who were competing in sport competitions at the time, either individually or in a team, or both, and who had formally registered in local, regional, or national sport federations in Malaysia. They completed the Athletic Religious Faith Scale (ARFS) and a self-perceived sport performance questionnaire. RESULTS The results showed that religious-psychological factors explain around 21% of the variance in self-perceived sport performance among religious athletes. Only three religious-psychological factors (i.e., religious coping, athletic identity, and religious dietary practices) contributed to the stimulation of self-perceived sport performance; in particular, religious coping was the most predictable factor, whereas the other factors (i.e., dependence on faith, flow, religious mental healing, and religious psychological effects) had no meaningful relationship with self-perceived sport performance. CONCLUSIONS This finding suggests that sport psychologists, coaches, and other professionals should consider the importance of religious faith and help religious athletes practice positive religious coping (e.g., religious social support or religious meditation) to enhance athletes' well-being and athletic performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young-Eun Noh
- Faculty of Sports and Exercise Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| | - Fariz Zaki
- Faculty of Sports and Exercise Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Mahmoud Danaee
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Upenieks L, Bounds EM, Melton KK, Glanzer P, Schnitker SA. Attachment to God, Contingent Self-Worth, and Mental Health Outcomes in U.S. Collegiate Athletes. JOURNAL OF RELIGION AND HEALTH 2024; 63:445-465. [PMID: 37658162 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-023-01907-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Scholars and practitioners have recently devoted increased attention to the psychological well-being of student-athletes. However, sparse research has examined the role of religion/spirituality in well-being in athletic populations. In a sample of U.S. collegiate athletes (N = 415), the present study assessed how the divine relationship, measured by attachment style to God, associates with depressive and anxiety symptoms in a sample of collegiate student-athletes, as well as the mediating role of contingent self-worth based on the approval of others in this process. Results show that secure attachment to God is associated with fewer mental illness symptoms, whereas avoidant and anxious attachment to God are associated with greater mental illness symptoms. Contingent self-worth based on others' approval partially mediates each of these associations. Implications for the religion and health literature and sport practitioners are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Upenieks
- Department of Sociology, Baylor University, 97326 One Bear Place, Waco, TX, USA.
| | - Elizabeth M Bounds
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Karen K Melton
- Department of Human Sciences and Design, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Perry Glanzer
- Department of Educational Leadership, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Sarah A Schnitker
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
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Agormedah EK, Quansah F, Srem-Sai M, Ankomah F, Hagan JE, Schack T. Reproducibility of the brief religious coping inventory with African athletes' sample using ordinal factor analytical approach. Front Psychol 2023; 13:1038202. [PMID: 36687907 PMCID: PMC9846767 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1038202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Previous studies have revealed that religious coping strategy is common among athletes due to the stressful experiences before and during competitions as part of the mental preparations they go through, the uncertainty of sporting outcomes, and other organizational issues they encounter. This research assessed the reproducibility of the Brief Religious Coping (RCOPE) instrument in an African setting using athletes' samples from different countries. Particularly, the research sought to assess the (1) factor structure of Brief RCOPE with an African sample, (2) construct validity of the RCOPE measure, and (3) measurement invariance of the RCOPE instrument based on gender and nationality. Methods The study surveyed a convenient sample of 300 athletes, including 164 male and 136 female athletes, from 3 African countries (Benin, Ghana, and Nigeria) who participated in the 2018 West African University Games. The Brief RCOPE instrument was administered to the athletes for validation purposes before the competition. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted using the ordinal factor analytic approach. Results This validation study confirmed the two-factor dimension (positive and negative religious coping) of the Brief RCOPE measure. Further, all items for each of the dimensions of the inventory contributed significantly to the measure of the Brief RCOPE domains. The positive and negative religious coping dimensions contributed more than half of the variance of their respective indicators. Measurement invariance across gender and nationality was confirmed. Conclusion Sufficient evidence was gathered to support the interpretation and use of the Brief RCOPE measure. Coaches and sports psychologists could adopt the Brief RCOPE measure to understand the mental or thought patterns of religious athletes based on existential concerns or stress accrued from impending competitions to inform appropriate religious coping interventions. This notwithstanding, the Minimum Clinical Important Difference (MCID) of the Brief RCOPE should be further investigated to enhance the utility of the instrument for use in intervention-based studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmond Kwesi Agormedah
- Department of Business and Social Sciences Education, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Frank Quansah
- Department of Educational Foundations, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana
| | - Medina Srem-Sai
- Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Sports, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana
| | - Francis Ankomah
- Department of Education and Psychology, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana,Department of Education, SDA College of Education, Asokore-Koforidua, Ghana
| | - John Elvis Hagan
- Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana,Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics-Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany,*Correspondence: John Elvis Hagan Jr,
| | - Thomas Schack
- Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics-Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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Hagan JE, Quansah F, Ankomah F, Agormedah EK, Srem-Sai M, Schack T. Examining the underlying latent structure of the sports emotion questionnaire: Insights from the bifactor multidimensional item response theory. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1038217. [PMID: 36619130 PMCID: PMC9813780 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1038217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Despite the widespread use of the sports emotion questionnaire (SEQ) in several studies, it is surprising that only a few have explicitly tested the validity and utility of the instrument in non-western populations. Besides, the issue of dimensionality and the latent structure of the instrument remain inconclusive given that several authors have revealed different factor structures across diverse populations. The central concern is whether the items on the various dimensions, proposed for the original SEQ, offer adequate information to their respective expected subscale or otherwise. This study assessed the underlying latent structure of the SEQ using confirmatory and bifactor multidimensional item response (MIRT) models. Methods Through a well-designed validation study 300 athletes from three West African countries, participating in the 2018 West African University Games were surveyed to respond to the SEQ. The data were analyzed using first, a 5-factor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) via the MIRT model and second, a bifactor MIRT analysis. Results The results revealed that items on the SEQ were fairly good in measuring the construct under the respective domains of the instrument. However, the outcome of the bifactor model showed that the majority of the items on the SEQ explained common variance in relation to the general factor other than the specific domains (5-dimensions). Conclusion Findings of the bifactor model question whether the sub-dimensions of the SEQ are needed since most of the items on the SEQ explained larger variances in the general factor than any of the five domains. It is concluded that instruments like SEQ should be scored for a general factor and not as sub-dimensions. Further investigations are encouraged by scholars within the area to probe the dimensionality of the SEQ.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Elvis Hagan
- Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana,Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics-Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and, Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany,*Correspondence: John Elvis Hagan Jr.,
| | - Frank Quansah
- Department of Educational Foundations, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana
| | - Francis Ankomah
- Department of Education and Psychology, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana,Department of Education, SDA College of Education, Asokore-Koforidua, Ghana
| | - Edmond Kwesi Agormedah
- Department of Business and Social Sciences Education, University of Cape Coast, Coast, Ghana
| | - Medina Srem-Sai
- Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Sports, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana
| | - Thomas Schack
- Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics-Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and, Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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Development and Validation of an Inventory for Stressful Situations in University Students Involving Coping Mechanisms: An Interesting Cultural Mix in Ghana. PSYCH 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/psych4020015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive and behavioural coping strategies are relevant approaches for individuals such as university students as they attempt to manage stressful situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other academic-related pursuits within their social milieu. Although several instruments have been developed to measure the coping situations of such individuals, few studies have developed students’ specific coping inventories, with none in the African context. Of the few that exist, a culturally dominant code such as religion has been ignored by many scholars in the development of coping measures. In this study, a cultural-mix coping inventory was developed and validated using university students in Ghana. Two distinct interrelated objectives were addressed. First, the structure of the coping inventory was identified through principal component analysis. Further confirmatory factor as well as reliability analyses were then performed to provide evidence of construct validity of the scale. The outcome of the study revealed a sixteen-item psychometrically sound coping inventory with a four-dimensional structure, namely, active coping, religious coping, behaviour disengagement, and emotional support. The implications of the results are further discussed in detail.
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Quansah F, Hagan JE, Sambah F, Frimpong JB, Ankomah F, Srem-Sai M, Seibu M, Abieraba RSK, Schack T. Perceived Safety of Learning Environment and Associated Anxiety Factors during COVID-19 in Ghana: Evidence from Physical Education Practical-Oriented Program. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ 2022; 12:28-41. [PMID: 35049532 PMCID: PMC8774500 DOI: 10.3390/ejihpe12010003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The outbreak of COVID-19 led to the swift migration to alternate instructional delivery models and pedagogical practices in educational institutions. This study examined the perceived safety of the learning environment and associated anxiety factors among physical education students amidst COVID-19. Using a cross-sectional design, a sample of 638 students drawn purposively and conveniently from a public university in Ghana completed a self-developed questionnaire. Frequency counts, percentages, and ordered logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Findings of the study showed that students perceived the practical lesson environment as unsafe, with self-reported moderate to high levels of anxiety during their practical lessons. The ordered logistic regression results revealed that varied factors such as age, COVID-19 information platforms, certainty about personal safety, and adequacy of preparation to manage COVID-19 cases were associated with anxiety. The study concluded that an unsafe practical physical education learning environment increases the anxiety levels of students. Academic departments/units should provide periodic interventions (e.g., positive self-talk, mental rehearsal, cognitive restructuring) and counseling services for students amidst the ongoing pandemic to help moderate situational-specific anxiety. In addition, key to the management of students' anxiety is the provision of a safe and supportive school environment, including the provision of adequate personal protective equipment for practical lessons by school authorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Quansah
- Department of Educational Foundations, University of Education, Winneba P.O. Box 25, Ghana;
| | - John Elvis Hagan
- Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast PMB TF0494, Ghana; (F.S.); (J.B.F.)
- Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics-Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Postfach 10 01 31, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany;
| | - Francis Sambah
- Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast PMB TF0494, Ghana; (F.S.); (J.B.F.)
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - James Boadu Frimpong
- Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast PMB TF0494, Ghana; (F.S.); (J.B.F.)
| | - Francis Ankomah
- Department of Education and Psychology, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast PMB TF0494, Ghana;
- Department of Education, SDA College of Education, Asokore-Koforidua P.O. Box AS 18, Ghana
| | - Medina Srem-Sai
- Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Sports, University of Education, Winneba P.O. Box 25, Ghana; (M.S.-S.); (M.S.); (R.S.K.A.)
| | - Munkaila Seibu
- Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Sports, University of Education, Winneba P.O. Box 25, Ghana; (M.S.-S.); (M.S.); (R.S.K.A.)
| | - Richard Samuel Kwadwo Abieraba
- Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Sports, University of Education, Winneba P.O. Box 25, Ghana; (M.S.-S.); (M.S.); (R.S.K.A.)
| | - Thomas Schack
- Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics-Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Postfach 10 01 31, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany;
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Abstract
Repression and persecution by the totalitarian communist regimes have significantly affected the fates of Christian churches and believers in the countries of the “Eastern Bloc”. Many members of the clergy and laypersons were incarcerated, tortured and persecuted, several bishops suffered exemplary punishment in the propaganda-driven show trials and a few of them were later beatified or canonized across the world (by the Catholic Church). Focusing on the literature originating in Slovakia, this meta-report aimed to summarize the key authors’ essential works and to examine the question as to whether—and to what extent—faith was a contributing factor in the collapse of the communist regime. What was the role of the churches and believers in the struggle against communism? How and to what extent believers were involved in the resistance movements and the political and economic transformation of their countries that were set in motion by the collapse of those regimes? Based on an analysis of hundreds of books and articles on the subject, essential ideas were extracted, categorized and presented. The works of the persecuted authors were the subject of a detailed qualitative content analysis. Thus, four overarching dimensions (philosophical, intimate, personal and social/political) and fourteen categories related to the experience of faith were identified.
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