Psychophysiological patterns related to success in a special operation selection course

Actual theaters of operations require fast actions from special operations units with a high level of readiness and survival. Mission accomplishment depends on their psychological and physiological performance. The aim of the present study was to analyze: (1) the physical parameters related with success in a special operation selection course; and (2) the modifications of the psychological profile of recruits before and after a special operation selection course. Fifty-five male soldiers of the Spanish Army (25.1 ± 5.0 years, 1.8 ± 0.1 cm, 76.8 ± 7.9 kg, 24.4 ± 2.5 kg/m2) undertaking a 10-week special operation selection course performed a battery of physiological and psychological tests. Results showed how successful soldiers presented higher leg strength, anaerobic running performance, and cardiovascular response than non-successful soldiers. The psychological values of life engagement test, acceptance and action questionnaire, coping flexibility scale, and perceived stress scale did not present significant differences after the selection course. We can conclude that success in a special operation selection course was related to higher anaerobic and cardiovascular fitness. This special operation selection course did not modify the psychological profile of successful soldiers.Universidad Europea de Madrid, Universidad de la Costa

The Effect of Expertise during Simulated Flight Emergencies on the Autonomic Response and Operative Performance in Military Pilots.

Heart rate variability (HRV) and performance response during emergency flight maneuvers were analyzed. Two expert pilots (ages 35 and 33) and two rookie pilots (ages 25) from the Portuguese Air Force participated in this case–control report study. Participants had to complete the following emergency protocols in a flight simulator: (1) take-off engine failure, (2) flight engine failure close to the base, (3) flight engine failure far away from the base, and (4) alternator failure. The HRV was collected during all these maneuvers, as well as the performance data (the time it took to go through the emergency protocol and the subjective information from the flight simulator operator). Results regarding autonomic modulation showed a higher sympathetic response during the emergency maneuvers when compared to baseline. In some cases, there was also a higher sympathetic response during the emergency maneuvers when compared with the take-off protocol. Regarding performance data, the expert pilots accomplished the missions in less time than the rookie pilots. Autonomic modulation measured from HRV through portable devices can easily relay important information. This information is relevant since characterizing these maneuvers can provide helpful information to design training strategies to improve those psychophysiological responses

Psychological Stress Triggers a Hyperammonemia Episode in Patient with Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency.

An 18-year-old male motorcycle racer, who was a participant in the FIM Road RacingWorld Championship and had a history of Ornithine Transcarbamylase deficiency, developed nausea and dizziness while driving his motorcycle and became unconscious right after he stopped at the box. He was rapidly attended to by the medical personnel of the circuit, and once he recovered consciousness, he was taken to the local hospital where the blood analysis showed hyperammonemia (307 _g/dL) and excess alkalosis. The patient was properly following the prescribed treatment, and there were no environmental stressors. Hence, psychological stress and its somatization due to the risky task that the patient was performing could have triggered the episode. Stress must be considered as a potential cause, triggering strenuous metabolic stress that leads to hyperammonemia

What doesn’t kill me ... : adversity-related experiences are vital in the development of superior Olympic performance

Objectives: Recent research suggests that experiencing some adversity can have beneficial outcomes for human growth and development. The purpose of this paper was to explore the adversities that the world’s best athletes encounter and the perceived role that these experiences play in their psychological and performance development. Design: A qualitative design was employed because detailed information of rich quality was required to better understand adversity-related experiences in the world’s best athletes. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 Olympic gold medalists from a variety of sports. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: The findings indicate that the participants encountered a range of sport- and non-sport adversities that they considered were essential for winning their gold medals, including repeated non-selection, significant sporting failure, serious injury, political unrest, and the death of a family member. The participants described the role that these experiences played in their psychological and performance development, specifically focusing on their resultant trauma, motivation, and learning. Conclusions: Adversity-related experiences were deemed to be vital in the psychological and performance development of Olympic champions. In the future, researchers should conduct more in-depth comparative studies of Olympic athletes’ adversity- and growth-related experiences, and draw on existing and alternative theoretical explanations of the growth-performance relationship. For professional practitioners, adversity-related experiences offer potential developmental opportunities if they are carefully and purposely harnessed

Exploring heart rate variability as a human performance optimisation metric for law enforcement

Tactical personnel, inclusive of police officers, face complex challenges over potentially decades-long careers. These cumulative exposures may manifest as allostatic load, impairing health, fitness, and performance. Allostatic load describes increased vulnerability to psychophysiological dysfunction resulting from prolonged overstress exposure. Monitoring for this risk is an important step towards its mitigation. Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis can noninvasively acquire psychophysiological overstress information in tactical environments. HRV theory and principles are well established, however, the integration of HRV in tactical workflows, especially for end-users, has received limited research attention. Therefore, the overarching aim of this programme of research was to determine the utility of HRV assessment in the support of specialist police and their organisations and to alert stakeholders to potential instances of psychophysiological overstress. Chapter 1 introduces HRV concepts within tactical contexts. Components of tactical work that may be best appreciated with HRV analysis are highlighted. Principles in this introduction are further articulated in a systematic review (Chapter 2). Chapter 2 reports on the undertaken systematic review which summarised and critically appraised studies of HRV applications across tactical populations. Of 296 initially identified studies, twenty were included. The volume of evidence suggested that HRV effectively supports health and performance measures in tactical environments. However, literature gaps were identified; most notably, there was limited evidence available regarding HRV in specialist police professions, thus warranting this research. As professional requirements and potential allostatic load sources differ during specialist police selection and subsequent specialist police operational contexts, two research arms were devised to pragmatically address this critical gap. Chapter 3 illustrates the research structure in further detail and outlines which studies address specific literature gaps within specialist police and in which of the two developed research arms. Methodological approaches are also described. Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7 encompass HRV application in initial specialist police selection. Chapter 4 introduces the first field study, building on the findings from Chapter 2 (Studyiii1) that HRV assessment may be more valuable than traditional heart rate (HR)measurement for monitoring tactical training as HRV is capable of measuring stress holistically. The primary aim therefore was to investigate whether HRV was more sensitive than HR at monitoring workload during specialist police selection activities. As aerobic fitness is associated with workload during these tasks, a secondary aim was to investigate relationships between HRV, HR, and maximal aerobic fitness. As illustrated by a time-series plot, HR values were unremarkable while HRV values were potentially depressed, and tentatively indicative of overstress. Estimated maximal aerobic fitness (20-m shuttle run) was significantly positively correlated with HRV, but there was no relationship with HR. When a linear regression model was applied, neither HRV nor HR were predicted by 20-m shuttle run scores. Chapter 5 aimed to determine the effectiveness of HRV in differentiating between candidates that failed to complete specialist selection from those who succeeded. HRV was defined as the percentage of R-R intervals that varied by at least 50ms (pRR50). Data were summarised in a heat map. A logistic regression model was generated that effectively predicted attrition but did not identify the most successful candidate. Therefore, the aim of Chapter 6 was to profile HRV characteristics of that successful candidate and consequently a detailed HRV time series plot was generated. Contextual analysis was applied, and the candidate demonstrated continued performance even under apparent duress, both physical and psychological in nature. The subsequent studies (7-9)then aimed to consider HRV monitoring at the operational level where such duress exposures occur frequently. Noting that success in training is distinct from operational performance, Chapters 7, 8, 9,and 10 examined the use of HRV monitoring in operational contexts. The purpose of Chapter 7 was to identify if HRV analysis could classify candidate performance in specialist police selection during occupationally realistic tactical operations scenarios which required fluid psychomotor skills, teamwork, and leadership while under duress. Qualitative analysis of descriptive statistics indicated that the HRV data of one participant were substantially different from his peers. This candidate was also the highest performer, suggesting a relationship between HRV and occupational aptitude. Given that specialist police often work rotating shift schedules which may lead to sleep deprivation, introducing another source of allostatic load, the aim of Chapter 8 was to determine the extent to which HRV may detect differences between specialist police that worked an overnight shift and those that were off duty overnight. HRV was analysed in11 male specialist police officers who were either off-duty or on overnight duty prior to engaging in specialist assessment activities. All officers experienced HRV perturbations from the assessment, but post-assessment HRV was greater amongst those who were coming on duty. HRV values continued to decline after assessment success amongst those that worked the night prior to training, potentially indicating greater stress loads in those that worked the overnight shift. Chapter 9 further explored HRV changes observed in Chapter 8. The aim was to identify relationships between physical fitness as measured by completion time on a primarily anaerobic occupational obstacle course, and HRV response during firearms qualification and subsequent stress training. HRV was assessed as the within-operator change from pre- to post-qualification and post-training. HRV was reduced after training but not after qualification. A linear regression model indicated that obstacle course completion time predicted HRV changes from baseline to both post-qualification and post-training. While stressful training and overnight shifts are regularly encountered in specialist police work, other tasks, such as serving in Directing Staff (DS) roles on selection courses for future candidates are also important duties and present as a nexus between operations and selection. Thus, Chapter 10 considered the critical operational role of DS cadre. The purpose of this study was to monitor and analyse the HRV of one DS member during their 24-hour shift on a candidate selection course. The findings of this case study suggested that DS may be subject to stress levels not unlike those of candidates. This is of note as selection courses are highly taxing and arduous, and officers may serve as DS on more than one course per year and still be required to perform their operational duties.DS requirements during selection courses should therefore be considered appropriately in the overall deployment and operational task scheduling paradigm.Each previous chapter considered important elements of service in a specialist police organisation. The final chapter (Chapter 11) summated the findings from this programme of study, contextualised the works in terms of the bodies of literature with which they were most associated, and highlighted overall limitations as well as plausible future directions. A final supplementary chapter, aimed to provide an operational guide for utilising HRV data in tactical settings, contributed to further support translation of research to practice. In this supplementary chapter, shortcomings of using HRV were reviewed and solutions to avoid flawed analysis provided, as are the key lessons learned from this thesis. In essence, the presentation and visualisation of HRV data may be as critical to the application of HRV analysis as the measurements themselves in tactical settings

Effects of Acute Stress on Psychophysiology in Armed Tactical Occupations: A Narrative Review

The ability to perform under extreme pressure is one of the most sought-after qualities in both sports and tactical (military, law enforcement, fire, and rescue, etc.) occupations. While tactical performance relies on both physical and mental capabilities to achieve a desired outcome, it is often hampered by the stressful environments in which these personnel work. The acute stress experienced by tactical personnel can interfere with occupational performance, impacting both physical execution of tasks and decision-making. This narrative review discusses the implications of acute stress on the psychophysiology and physical performance of personnel serving in armed tactical occupations

What doesn't kill me...: adversity-related experiences are vital in the development of superior Olympic performance

Objectives: Recent research suggests that experiencing some adversity can have beneficial outcomes for human growth and development. The purpose of this paper was to explore the adversities that the world’s best athletes encounter and the perceived role that these experiences play in their psychological and performance development. Design: A qualitative design was employed because detailed information of rich quality was required to better understand adversity-related experiences in the world’s best athletes. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 Olympic gold medalists from a variety of sports. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: The findings indicate that the participants encountered a range of sport- and non-sport adversities that they considered were essential for winning their gold medals, including repeated non-selection, significant sporting failure, serious injury, political unrest, and the death of a family member. The participants described the role that these experiences played in their psychological and performance development, specifically focusing on their resultant trauma, motivation, and learning. Conclusions: Adversity-related experiences were deemed to be vital in the psychological and performance development of Olympic champions. In the future, researchers should conduct more in-depth comparative studies of Olympic athletes’ adversity- and growth-related experiences, and draw on existing and alternative theoretical explanations of the growth–performance relationship. For professional practitioners, adversity-related experiences offer potential developmental opportunities if they are carefully and purposely harnessed

Are Crohn’s Disease Patients Limited in Sport Practise? An UltraEndurance Case–Control Study Response

The aim of this study was to analyze the psychophysiological response of a Crohn’s Disease patient in an ultra-endurance event. The psychophysiological responses of a Crohn’s Disease and non Crohn’s Disease participant were analysed before during and after an 8 h ultra-endurance running event. Results showed how Crohn’s patient presented a similar psychophysiological response than non-Crohn’s participant in the ultra-endurance event, except for a higher pre- and post-event sym pathetic modulation, lower event sympathetic tone, and lower event body temperature. This study could contribute to improving physical activity recommendations for persons with Crohn’s Disease and open a new research line for an improved understanding of psychophysiological modifications of Crohn’s Disease patients during exercise.Project 2020/UEM4