Effects of goal orientation and perceived value of toughness on antisocial behavior in soccer: the mediating role of moral disengagement

In this study, we examined (a) the effects of goal orientations and perceived value of toughness on antisocial behavior toward opponents and teammates in soccer and (b) whether any effects were mediated by moral disengagement Male soccer players (N = 307) completed questionnaires assessing the aforementioned variables Structural equation modeling indicated that ego orientation had positive and task orientation had negative direct effects on antisocial behavior toward opponents Further, ego orientation and perceived value of toughness had indirect positive effects on antisocial behavior toward opponents and teammates which were mediated by moral disengagement Collectively, these findings aid our understanding of the effects of personal influences on antisocial behavior and of psychosocial mechanisms that could facilitate such antisocial conduct in male soccer player

The prosocial and antisocial behavior in sport scale

This research aimed to (a) develop a measure of prosocial and antisocial behavior in sport, (b) examine its invariance across sex and sport, and (c) provide evidence for its discriminant and concurrent validity. We conducted two studies. In study 1, team sport athletes (N = 1,213) recruited from 103 teams completed questionnaires assessing demographics and prosocial and antisocial behaviors in sport. Factor analyses revealed two factors representing prosocial behavior and two factors representing antisocial behavior. The model had a very good fit to the data and showed configural, metric, and scalar invariance across sex and sport. The final scale consisted of 20 items. In Study 2, team-sport athletes (N = 106) completed the scale and measures of empathy and goal orientation. Analyses provided Support for the discriminant and concurrent validity of the scale. In conclusion, the new scale can be used to measure prosocial and antisocial behaviors in team sport

Athletes' perceptions of coaching effectiveness and athlete-related outcomes in rugby union: An investigation based on the coaching efficacy model

This study examined the relationships between athletes' perceptions of coaching effectiveness, based on the coaching efficacy model, and their effort, commitment, enjoyment, self-efficacy, and prosocial and antisocial behavior in rugby union. Participants were 166 adult male rugby-union players (M age = 26.5, SD = 8.5 years), who completed questionnaires measuring their perceptions of four dimensions of coaching effectiveness as well as their effort, commitment, enjoyment, self-efficacy, and prosocial and antisocial behavior. Regression analyses, controlling for rugby experience, revealed that athletes' perceptions of motivation effectiveness predicted effort, commitment, and enjoyment. Further, perceptions of technique effectiveness predicted self-efficacy, while perceptions of character-building effectiveness predicted prosocial behavior. None of the perceived coaching effectiveness dimensions were related to antisocial behavior. In conclusion, athletes' evaluations of their coach's ability to motivate, provide instruction, and instill an attitude of fair play in his athletes have important implications for the variables measured in this study

Early discharge planning : Primiparous women\u27s perceptions of their readiness for going home

Early discharge for women after childbirth was introduced in Australia approximately ten years ago. Early discharge involves going home from hospital within three days of giving birth. Since its introduction, early discharge has been the subject of much debate. Previous research has argued the cost effectiveness and safety of early discharge, but little has been done to examine this phenomenon from the human aspect. An exploratory study of first time mothers, in an early discharge programme was undertaken to address how these women felt in relation to their readiness for going home. A purposive sample of twenty Caucasian, English speaking women were interviewed in their homes, three weeks after the birth of their baby. Data from personal interviews, telephone follow-up interviews and the researchers observational field notes were analysed using content analysis. Significant statements were extracted from data transcriptions and were clustered into appropriate themes and sub-themes. Validity and reliability was confirmed during data analysis. The study findings revealed that the 20 participants felt ready to go home from hospital on or before day three. Four key themes emerged from the data: Getting Information and Help for Going Home; Getting Information and Help after Going Home; Caring for Baby; and Own Environment. The conceptual framework developed from the current literature on early discharge was modified to incorporate the themes drawn from the data. More exploratory-descriptive research on early discharge needs to be undertaken to examine the perceptions of other groups within the community. The experiences of non-English speaking women, single mothers, and adolescents in early discharge programmes need to be explored

Do nurses write nursing diagnoses correctly?

In this study it was proposed to examine the effect of educational intervention on nurses\u27 abilities to write nursing diagnostic statements. Studies have shown that the way nurses write nursing diagnoses is an area of weakness in the overall documentation process, and this was perceived by the researcher as being true also in Western Australia. One reason for this, identified in the literature, appears to be lack of education in writing nursing diagnoses. This study was conducted in a 190-bed public hospital using an experimental research design, using control and experimental groups to test the hypothesis that nurses\u27 abilities to write nursing diagnoses correctly will be improved by inservice education. A sample of 50 nurses was surveyed and were assigned to two groups of 25. Both groups were pre and post tested. Following data collection, the results were statistically analysed using Analysis of Covariance to determine the effects of the education. Results of the analysis revealed that the education of the 25 experimental group nurses had a significant effect on their ability to write nursing diagnoses..

Coaching efficacy and coaching effectiveness: examining their predictors and comparing coaches' and athletes' reports

Research on the conceptual model of coaching efficacy (Feltz, Chase, Moritz, & Sullivan, 1999) has increased dramatically over the past few years. Utilizing this model as the guiding framework, the current study examined: (a) coaching experience and sex as predictors of coaches' coaching efficacy; (b) sport experience, sex, and the match/mismatch in sex between coach and athlete as predictors of athletes' perceptions of their coach's effectiveness on the four coaching efficacy domains; and (c) whether coaches' reports of coaching efficacy and athletes' perceptions of coaching effectiveness differed. Coaches (N = 26) and their athletes (N = 291) from 8 individual and 7 team sports drawn from British university teams (N = 26) participated in the study. Coaches completed the Coaching Efficacy Scale (CES), while athletes evaluated their coach's effectiveness using an adapted version of the CES; coaches and athletes also responded to demographic questions. Results indicated that, in coaches, years of coaching experience positively predicted technique coaching efficacy, and males reported higher game strategy efficacy than females. In athletes, sport experience negatively predicted all perceived coaching effectiveness dimensions, and the mismatch in sex between athletes and their coach negatively predicted perceived motivation and character building coaching effectiveness. Finally, on average, coaches' ratings of coaching efficacy were significantly higher than their athletes' ratings of coaching effectiveness on A dimensions. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for coaching effectiveness

The ‘selves’ in banned performance enhancement: Investigating narcissism and compassion in the context of doping

Intentional doping is a goal-directed behaviour influenced by a range of psychological factors, potentially including personality traits. However, to date, understanding of how the selves may influence use of banned performance enhancing substances and methods is scarce. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine two opposing self-concepts, narcissism (i.e., a willingness to construct and maintain a positive self-image) and self-compassion (i.e., action to approach and accept a negative self or related distress in a peaceful mind), in the context of doping. In a sample of 178 competitive athletes (M age = 24.44, M years of training = 7.1), we examined both grandiose and vulnerable aspects of narcissism, self-compassion, fears of compassion, and their interactions in relation to doping moral disengagement, doping self-regulatory efficacy, and doping willingness. We found athletes high in either grandiose, vulnerable, or both aspects of narcissism were at risk for intentional doping, whereas a low-low combination was the lowest in such risk. High self-compassion mitigated the relationships between grandiose narcissism and doping moral disengagement and between vulnerable narcissism and doping willingness, regardless of whether participants were fearful of feelings of self-compassion. However, self-compassion was associated with higher doping willingness for individuals high in vulnerable narcissism when fear of compassion expressed by others was high but doping willingness was lower in the same group when fear of compassion from others was low. These findings offer new insights into narcissism-related doping risks and highlight the potential practical benefits of compassion-focused interventions to reduce doping risks

Sport supplement use predicts doping likelihood via sport supplement beliefs

Introduction The gateway hypothesis posits that athletes are at risk of progressing to doping if sport supplements are already used for performance enhancement. Recent research has indicated that athletes with stronger beliefs in the effectiveness of sport supplements in improving performance are more likely to use sport supplements (1). Hypothetically, therefore, if athletes’ beliefs about sports supplements influence supplement use, and if supplement use predicts doping (i.e. the gateway hypothesis), it is reasonable to suggest a relationship between beliefs about supplements and doping likelihood. However, this relationship remains untested. This study aimed to test the mediating role of sport supplement beliefs on the relationship between sport supplement use and doping likelihood. Method Four hundred and eighty one competitive athletes (mean + SD: age = 19.6 ± 2.2 yrs, hour per week training = 6.3 ± 4.5, years competing = 5.9 ± 4.6) were recruited from sports clubs and asked to complete measures of sport supplement use, sport supplement beliefs and doping likelihood. Results Sport supplement use was associated with sport supplement beliefs (r = 0.46, p <0.01) and doping likelihood (r = 0.14, p < 0.01), and sport supplement beliefs were correlated with doping likelihood (r = 0.22, p <0.01). Mediation analysis indicated that sport supplement beliefs significantly mediated the relationship between sport supplement use and doping likelihood (β = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.10 to 0.30), whereas sport supplement use was not directly related to doping likelihood (β = 0.04, 95% CI = -0.05 to 0.15). Conclusion The results of this study indicate sport supplement use predicts doping likelihood via sport supplement beliefs. These findings provide novel evidence to suggest that athletes using sport supplements are more likely to dope due to their belief in the effectiveness of these substances and could help further explain why athletes using sport supplements are more likely to progress to doping (i.e. gateway hypothesis)