ECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH20
INTRODUCTION: Young adults, aged 18–24 years have the highest prevalence of depression compared to other age groups (1). Physical activity and education status can impact the likelihood of depression; however, the dose-response relationship of resistance training (RT) and depression diagnoses among young adults based on education status is unclear (2,3). METHODS: Using data from the 2023 Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System, 16,254 young adults (18-24 years) were included in the analysis. Respondents self-reported the number of times they engaged in weekly RT and diagnosis of depression. Participants were categorized by education status: education attainment, college education, and current student status. Separate logistic regression with survey analysis was performed for each of the education status variables with diagnosis of depression regressed into weekly number of RT, education status, and the intersection between weekly RT and education status. RESULTS: The average reported weekly RT was 2.54 times/week, with 73.41% of participants reported no depression while 26.59% reported having depression. For education attainment, 8.90% reported having less than high school education, 42.86% were high school graduates, 32.55% had some college education, and 15.69% were college graduates. 51.75% of participants did not have college education while 48.25% had college education. Also, 29.79% of participants were students at the time of the survey. The unadjusted logistic regression models with education attainment found that a higher frequency of weekly RT was associated with lower diagnosis of depression (OR=0.88, 95% CI [0.79, 0.99]). However, education attainment and weekly RT were not associated with depression diagnoses among high school graduates (p=0.20), college (p=0.73) and college graduates (p=0.64). The logistic regression models with college education and current student status found no associations with depression (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Regardless education status, there is a dose-response relationship of RT and depression diagnoses among young adults. Once a week RT is beneficial however, increasing to two times or more can reduce the likelihood of depression diagnoses. REFERENCES: 1. Adams, S H et al. “Young Adult Anxiety or Depressive Symptoms and Mental Health Service Utilization During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The Journal of adolescent health, vol. 70,6 (2022): 985-988. 2. Taple, B J et al. “The Impact of Education on Depression Assessment: Differential Item Functioning Analysis.” Assessment vol. 29,2 (2022): 272-284. 3. Schuch, F B, and Stubbs B. “The Role of Exercise in Preventing and Treating Depression.” Current sports medicine reports vol. 18,8 (2019): 299-304.
Read CV Saida RiddellECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH20
Introduction The Pygmalion Effect, also known as a self-fulfilling prophecy, is a psychological phenomenon where individuals change their behavior to meet the expectations of others, thereby achieving or confirming these expectations. In sports, the expectations of coaches significantly impact athletes performances, yet this is seldom explored in depth. This study aims to investigate the Pygmalion Effect within sports psychology, focusing on both the direct and indirect relationships between coach expectations and athlete performance. Methods This study was conducted from March 25 to April 10, 2024, at a university in southern Taiwan. We used convenience sampling and snowball sampling methods to collect paper questionnaires from college athletes who specialize in different sports, including basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer, and taekwondo. A total of 188 athletes aged 18 to 23 participated. After reviewing the questionnaires and removing those that were incomplete, 172 were considered valid, resulting in a 91.5% valid response rate. The data were analyzed using SmartPLS software version 4.1.0.9, employing the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to assess the direct and mediated effects of coach expectations (CE), self-efficacy (SE), perceived athletic ability (PA), and sports performance (SP). Results The analysis showed that coach expectations positively influenced self-efficacy (CE→SE, β = .454, p < .001), but had no direct significant impact on perceived athletic ability or sports performance. Self-efficacy significantly positively affected perceived athletic ability (SE→PA, β = .595, p < .001) and sports performance (SE→SP, β = .238, p = .009 < .01). Perceived athletic ability also positively impacted sports performance (PA→SP, β = .215, p = .017 < .05). Regarding indirect effects, self-efficacy mediated the impact on sports performance through perceived athletic ability (SE→PA→SP, β = .128, p = .026 < .05). Coach expectations influenced sports performance indirectly through self-efficacy (CE→SE→SP, β = .108, p = .015 < .05) and a serial mediation involving perceived athletic ability (CE→SE→PA→SP, β = .058, p = .032 < .05). Discussion This study confirmed the significant role of the Pygmalion Effect in sports, demonstrating that coach expectations cannot directly influence sports performance but elevate performance indirectly by affecting athletes self-efficacy and perceived athletic ability. These findings not only support the theory of self-fulfilling prophecies but also establish that coaches who maintain high expectations can create an environment that motivates athletes to achieve higher performance standards. Lastly, this research enriches the theoretical application of self-fulfilling prophecies in sports and provides practical insights for coaching training programs aimed at improving athletes performances.
Read CV BO-CHING CHENECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH20
INTRODUCTION Swimming is a highly demanding sport in terms of balancing athletic commitments with daily life. The risk of dropout in adolescence is particularly high, often due to low intrinsic motivation. Although motivation is difficult to measure during training, perceived exertion has been suggested as a potential indicator, as supported by previous studies [1, 2] based on Motivational Intensity Theory [3]. This study examines the influence of RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion) on different motivational behaviors. METHODS An observational study with behavioral analysis was conducted over 14 weeks (74 training sessions). A total of 1558 behaviors were categorized into 11 semantic categories. These macro-categories were assigned valence scores ranging from -6 to +6 based on their relevance to training motivation, following the framework of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which links motivation to committed action aligned with personal values. RPE was recorded three times per session—during warm-up, main set, and cool-down. Behaviors were categorized as individual or social, as team interactions significantly impact motivation, even in an individual sport like swimming. RESULTS Eight behavioral categories were identified as "dysfunctional" due to their negative valence: Reacting at Coach Instructions, Peer Disengagement Influence, Behavioral Resistance, Skipping Lengths, Social Distraction, Low Resilience Behaviors, Excuse-Making, and Effort Minimization (M=-3.0; SD=0.9). Three behavioral categories were considered "functional" due to their positive valence: Support and Motivate Peers, Relaxed Atmosphere, and Committed Effort (value=3.0). The effect of perceived exertion on behaviors was analyzed using a mixed-effects linear model with random effects for day, training session, and athlete. The strongest effects were observed during the warm-up phase, where RPE showed a negative relationship with social behaviors (β=-0.204, df=153, SE=0.109, t=-1.87, p=0.063), though the effect was not statistically significant. However, day-to-day variance was the highest (0.726), and the high residual variance (0.907) suggests the presence of additional unaccounted factors. Furthermore, pairwise comparisons of RPE distributions across different behaviors revealed statistically significant differences, indicating that perceived exertion varied meaningfully depending on the type of behavior exhibited. DISCUSSION In line with Motivational Intensity Theory, the results suggest a relationship between perceived exertion (RPE) and social behaviors within the team. Specifically, when fatigue reaches a critical threshold, engagement in social aspects may decrease, reducing the quality of interactions among teammates. This study not only reinforces the idea that perceived exertion affects motivation but also provides sport psychologists with a practical tool to assess motivation in adolescent swimmers. 1.Wright (2008) 2. Montull (2022) 3. Brehm & Self (1989)
Read CV Matteo ChiesECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH20