ECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH02
Introduction High training stress is known to precipitate overtraining and performance decline, yet the nuanced impact of gender differences among athletes remain underexplored. The motivational climate created by the coach can contribute to negative psychological outcomes, including stress and overtraining. Understanding gender differences in how athletes perceive training stress and the impact of motivational climate can help in devising more effective strategies. The aim of this study is to investigate gender differences in perceived training stress and examine their relationships with the motivational climate. Methods A total of 178 athletes, aged between 18 to 30 years who are actively engaged in competitive sports across diverse disciplines, participated in the online survey. This survey consisted of standardized instruments such as the Training Distress Scale to assess athletes psychological and physical symptoms and the Empowering and Disempowering Motivational Climate Questionnaire-Coach for assessing the athletes perceptions of the motivational environment created by their coach. Results Female athletes reported higher levels of training stress compared to male athletes. Specifically, female athletes exhibited elevated scores in 16 out of 19 overtraining symptoms assessed than male athletes. Statistically significant differences were noted in the overall perception of symptoms, particularly in symptoms like "not being able to remember things" and " a quick temper“ . Furthermore, an elevated incidence of overtraining symptoms was associated with an ego-involved motivational climate for both genders (female r = 0.25, male r = 0.27). For female athletes, a controlling coaching climate was also associated with a higher prevalence of overtraining symptoms (r = 0.26), highlighting the role of coaching style in athlete well-being. Discussion The observed higher incidence of overtraining in female athletes compared to male athletes emphasizes the importance of gender-specific vulnerabilities in the context of overtraining. While the social dimension of overtraining seems to be significant for all elite athletes regardless of gender, the connection between overtraining and a disempowering motivational climate is somewhat more noticeable in female athletes. This association suggests that the nature of the coaching climate, especially aspects that undermine the autonomy and competence of athletes, can disproportionately affect female athletes and contribute to greater training stress. The results of this investigation underscore the need for gender-sensitive approaches in training practices to mitigate the risk of overtraining and optimize the well-being and performance of athletes. This work was supported by the following projects: GAUK no. 165023, COOP SPOS and GAČR 23-02573S.
Read CV Kristyna RusnakovaECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH02
INTRODUCTION: The studied group consisted of 12 female athletes, between 20 and 72 years old, who, before the sports break, were in excellent physical condition and sporting athletic activities; that is, working with maximum weights in the gym or capable of maintaining infernal rhythms in running and various modalities of athletics. The applied analyses gave important results for the conclusions presented, because findings allowed us to ratify a qualitative change in each vision of life. METHODS: Three analytical modalities were applied: interviews with the participants and their coach; the study of group videos as a whole; and twice for each of the participants (at the beginning and end of the six months of training). As well as a bibliographic review of these processes. In all cases, there is informed consent. The corpus studied is made up of some who were high performers and competitive, and others returned to sport to get out of a sedentary lifestyle and recover, as far as possible, adequate sporting ability, according to their age. Also, video records (technique, resistance, and post-training behavior) and interviews as authentic and daily exchange activities were analyzed. RESULTS: In each participant, the difference was auscultated from the decline produced without training, which was greater or lesser in each person (especially if they did not take care of themselves and forgot good maintenance and sustainability practices "at rest"). The latter is understood as the time between the stoppage and the resumption of the sport. The above was compared with the tasks and competencies on the end date of the process. The interviews also took into account specific questions about the state of mind, motivation and prospect of return, because self-appreciation is essential for strengthening ones being. The improvement in the capacity of the various exercises that included the regulated practices was confirmed in the first two months; as well as the training for the initial competitions and the clear improvement in the last two months of this segment of the process of returning to the systematic sporting life of athletics. DISCUSSION: The analysis of behavior, based on gestures, posture, breathing and voice are aspects that set very important guidelines for the specific context and the correlation with the psychosocial mood of each participant. We found that as capacity was gained, joy and euphoria also increased, in some cases; as well as the motivation to continue training in the second half of the year. CONCLUSION: Returning to sport after months or years of being sedentary, especially returning to high-performance athletics, is not an easy task despite having returned to training consistently. The elderly who performed this physical activity were more coordinated. They remembered and recognized the value of the technique. Another advantage of being active again is that their mood improved, because it reduced stress and insomnia.
Read CV María Cecilia Plested-AlvarezECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH02
Athletes need sufficient restorative sleep to meet the demands of competitive sports. However, due to late competitions, intense training sessions, and dual demands, athletes often experience a sleep deficit (Walsh et al., 2021). Behavioral strategies aimed at enhancing sleep hygiene are frequently employed to reduce this sleep deficit (Bartel et al., 2015). In addition to these strategies, studies indicate that psychological determinants like the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness; Ryan & Deci, 2000) during the day may also improve sleep quality (Campbell et al., 2015). This study is the first to investigate this relationship in a cohort of competitive athletes (N=48). Thirty-two female and 16 male athletes (M=20.00 years, SD=4.44) from individual and team sports wore actigraphs (Motionwatch 8) for 14 days to measure objective sleep parameters (sleep onset latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency). Individual sleep deficit and subjective sleep quality were recorded via morning sleep logs. In daily evening logs, athletes reported their basic needs satisfaction, pre-sleep arousal and training load. One-time questionnaires at the beginning of the study also captured general sleep quality (PSQI), chronotype (D-MEQ), and satisfaction of needs in sports (PNSEG) and sleep. Data collection for the study is completed, and the data analysis is ongoing. Multilevel analysis will determine whether daily basic needs satisfaction has the expected positive impact on athletes sleep quality and reduces their individual sleep deficit. The results aim to unravel the sleep dynamics of athletes and to highlight potential interventions for optimizing athletes sleep. Bartel, K. A., Gradisar, M., & Williamson, P. (2015). Protective and risk factors for adolescent sleep: A meta-analytic review. In Sleep Medicine Reviews (Vol. 21, pp. 72–85). W.B. Saunders Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2014.08.002 Campbell, R., Vansteenkiste, M., Delesie, L. M., Mariman, A. N., Soenens, B., Tobback, E., van der Kaap-Deeder, J., & Vogelaers, D. P. (2015). Examining the role of psychological need satisfaction in sleep: A Self-Determination Theory perspective. Personality and Individual Differences, 77, 199–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.01.003 Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68 Walsh, N. P., Halson, S. L., Sargent, C., Roach, G. D., Nédélec, M., Gupta, L., Leeder, J., Fullagar, H. H., Coutts, A. J., Edwards, B. J., Pullinger, S. A., Robertson, C. M., Burniston, J. G., Lastella, M., le Meur, Y., Hausswirth, C., Bender, A. M., Grandner, M. A., & Samuels, C. H. (2021). Sleep and the athlete: Narrative review and 2021 expert consensus recommendations. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 55(7), 356–368. https://doi.org/10.1136/BJSPORTS-2020-10202
Read CV Anne-Marie ElbeECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH02