ECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH12
Background: Fantasy-prone individuals tend to engage in conscious but immersive and imaginative experiences of fantasies, of which the fantasies are real as life and could suspend their disbelief in the nonreality associated with the fantasies (e.g., seeing imaginative experience as real despite knowing it is not). Excessive fantasy use contributes to one’s overly inflated self-concept, addictive daydreaming, obsessive-compulsive behaviours and even psychopathology. However, little is known regarding the role of sport fantasy engagement and athlete mental illness. Methods: Among 397 British University and College Sports (BUCS) athletes (aged 22.27 on average, 196 males, from 4 individual and 7 team sports), we examined the hypothesis that the magnitude of the relationship between sport fantasy proneness and psychological distress increases as athletes’ perception of deflated reality in sport (i.e., pessimistic feelings towards one’s sporting career involving training and competition) increase. Besides, we also hypothesised that increased sense of deflated reality underpins the relationship between sport fantasy and psychological distress (i.e., an indirect effect). We therefore assessed participating athletes’ sport fantasy and perceived deflated reality as the exposure variables and measured psychological distress as the outcome variable. In order to adjust for the confound of sport-specific stress on psychological distress, we also assessed athletes’ psychological strain in sport as a covariate in our analysis. Clustered mediated moderated analyses were performed to test our hypothesis whilst adjusting for the nested nature of the data to control for between-person differences in each sport (i.e., sport type as the cluster). Results: Sport fantasy demonstrated a significant indirect effect on greater psychological distress via increased sense of deflated reality. However, the moderation of deflated reality on the relationship between sport fantasy and psychological distress was a mitigating rather amplifying effect, thus contrasting our moderation hypothesis. The nature of the moderation suggested that, after controlled for sport-specific strain, sport fantasy was not related to psychological distress when perceived deflated reality was low but reduced psychological distress when perceived deflated realty was high. The significant and positive main effect of deflated reality on psychological distress was expected and noteworthy. The findings suggests that sport fantasy is not necessarily a bad thing and could even offer mental health protection especially for those high in deflated reality. Conclusion: Sport fantasy is not as bad as one’s impression. How engaging fantasy experience in sport may intervene with athletes’ mental health is likely dependent on how the athletes perceive the ‘reality’ in their sport career. Researchers and practitioners would do well to tackle athletes’ sense of deflated reality for promoting mental health.
Read CV Shuge ZhangECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH12
Introduction A growing body of evidence highlights the psychological impact of injuries on athletes. One psychological challenge that may be particularly salient, but which remains poorly understood, relates to self-presentation concerns. Self-presentation refers to individuals’ efforts to shape or influence how others’ perceive them. Although such preoccupations may be heightened during absences from sport participation – such as during an injury – this contention requires further empirical scrutiny. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the nature, antecedents, and implications of injured athletes’ self-presentation concerns. Method The first author conducted semi-structured interviews with five competitive adolescent athletes (Mage = 15.6 years) who experienced a variety of serious injuries (e.g., anterior cruciate ligament tear, labrum tear) as a result of competing in judo, cycling, basketball, ice hockey and acrobatic skiing. Thematic analysis of transcript data was undertaken using the 6-step analysis procedures outlined by Braun and Clark (2021). Results Participants’ articulated concerns about being perceived as “acting” or “faking” their injury when relevant others (e.g., coaches, parents) doubted the presence of their injury. Additionally, adolescents lacking in self-confidence to return to pre-injury levels, reported concerns about being perceived as “useless” or “unreliable” when eventually performing in front of coaches or teammates. Furthermore, some participants who did not have a long-standing relationship with their coach, were worried that coaches felt they were using their injury as an excuse to avoid training or returning to competition. Such concerns led to subsequent apprehensions about the implications of negative coach evaluations for athletes’ future sport participation (e.g., playing time). Finally, adolescents remarked that the aforementioned concerns often led to negative emotions such as anger and frustration. Despite experiencing self-presentation concerns, several participants indicated that they did not have specific strategies for managing such concerns. Discussion Building on past research, adolescents’ highlighted novel factors (self-confidence, the length or quality of the coach-athlete relationship) influencing self-presentation concerns, as well as implications for psychological functioning during rehabilitation (negative emotions). These concerns can be targeted in cognitive-behavioral interventions aimed at optimizing injured adolescent’s rehabilitation and return to sport. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: a practical guide. Sage.
Read CV Noémie DemersECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH12
Objectives. Studies have consistently shown that athletes are as likely as the general population to experience mental health issues (Poucher et al., 2021). Approximately half of all elite athletes report symptoms of at least one mental health disorder during their careers (Gouttebarge et al., 2019; Åkesdotter et al., 2020). Mental health literacy (MHL) plays a crucial role in determining whether athletes seek help when facing mental health difficulties (Bu et al., 2020). Effective MHL interventions can enhance athletes ability to recognize symptoms, access support services, and increase their intentions to seek help (Diamond et al., 2022). This study aimed to design and evaluate a culturally adaptable MHL intervention for athletes, implement it across diverse contexts, and explore its effectiveness through qualitative feedback. Methods. A workshop titled "Mental Health Matters" was developed to enhance athletes understanding of mental health, the impact of sport- and personal factors on mental health and well-being, and to promote self-care strategies through diverse pedagogical approaches and techniques. A total of 253 athletes from Slovenia, Belgium, and South Africa participated in the workshop. Post-intervention, six focus groups with 37 athletes (two per country) and semi-structured interviews with educators were conducted to gather qualitative feedback. Data were analyzed thematically to identify patterns and differences across cultural contexts. Results. Participants reported an increased awareness of mental health and a clearer understanding of how their athletic careers impact their mental health and well-being. They valued the self-care practices introduced during the workshop. Educators emphasized the importance of considering athletes age when implementing such interventions and highlighted the value of interactive components, particularly role-play exercises and group discussions. Cross-national analysis identified both shared themes, such as reduced stigma, and culturally specific differences, including variations in perceived barriers to seeking help. Conclusion. The intervention workshop proved to be an effective and well-received intervention for improving athletes mental health literacy across diverse cultural settings. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on mental health literacy programs for athletes and highlight strategies for enhancing their impact across different national contexts.
Read CV Janja UsenikECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH12