Florida and the Environment: From La Florida to Global Warming

Stephen Hawking\u27s book, A Brief History in Time begins with a short passage about a well-known scientist giving a public lecture on astronomy and the meaning of the universe... He described how the earth &ts around the sun and how the sun, in turn, around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady in the back of the room got up and said. What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise. The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, What is the tortoise standing on? You\u27re very clever, young man, very clever said the old lady. But it\u27s turtles all the way down! 1 Hawking goes on to say Most people would find the picture of our universe as an infinite tower of tortoises rather ridiculous, but why do we think we know better? 2 Hawking presented this story to provide a perspective about scientific ideas, empirical data, history, and the search to understand the origin and ultimate fate of our universe. How does this story relate to the theme of the 2008 Florida Historical Society Annual Meeting and the Jillian Prescott Memorial Lecture (Florida and the Environment: From La Florida to Global Warming)? Knowledge about the history of our planet is essential to understand the complex geological, chemical, physical and biological systems that sustain life on Earth. An understanding of both history and science, with an appreciation for the complexity of spatial and temporal scale, is a fundamental first step to prepare society for the scientific and human implications of global climate change

Work-Based Social Interactions, Perceived Stress, and Workload Incongruence as Antecedents of Athletic Trainer Burnout

Burnout is an important psychological health concern for working professionals. Understanding how psychological stress and markers of workload contribute to athletic trainers' (ATs') perceptions of burnout is highly valuable. Both positive (social support) and negative social interactions should be considered when examining relationships among markers of ATs' health and wellbeing

Psychological Experiences During Previous High School Sport Participation Predict College Students’ Current Psychological Health

Adolescent sport participation has been positively associated with psychological health outcomes. Yet, further research is needed to explore how psychosocial health benefits from sport may be maximized or minimized based on one’s psychological experiences during previous sport participation. The present study examined associations among retrospective psychological experiences of high school sport participation and markers of current college students’ psychosocial health. American college students (N = 300) self-reported retrospective high school sport experiences (i.e., burnout, engagement, and stress) and current psychosocial health outcomes (i.e., social support, depressive symptoms, life satisfaction) via an online interface. Moderated multiple regression analyses showed high school sport burnout, stress, and engagement to predict significant variance in college social support (p \u3c .05), anxiety (p \u3c .01), depressive symptoms (p \u3c .01), and life satisfaction (p \u3c .01). Results provide evidence that retrospective accounts of high school sport participation experiences (i.e., low burnout, low stress, and positive engagement) were associated with more adaptive post-high school psychosocial outcomes in college. This information may guide future prospective studies and aid practitioners by proving a broader understanding of psychosocial outcomes of sport participation

Health and Well-Being Measures of Collegiate Athlete and Non-Athlete Graduates

American collegiate sport participation has been linked with psychosocial and career-related benefits as well as with mental and physical health risks, with extant research on this topic revealing mixed results. The study purpose was, informed by the Health through Sport Conceptual Model, to describe and compare associations among health related quality of life and psychosocial measures of former U.S. collegiate athletes and non-athletes from four university graduation cohorts. Results suggest on aggregate former collegiate athletes report more positive measures than their non-athlete peers. Study findings were, in some instances, mitigated/reversed when participants endorsed concussion, career ending injury or revenue sport participation histories or were female. Though limited by a cross-sectional design and a potential health worker effect, results provide some support for protective associations of collegiate athletics participation. This study also provides a theoretical bridge from intercollegiate athletics participation to broader sport promotion literatures

Transition Experiences of Former Collegiate Women’s Soccer Athletes

Athlete transition from American collegiate sport participation, to non-sport careers or professional sport, has been a topic of contemporary sport science research but it is still not well understood, especially in female athlete populations. Informed by extant transition theory, the current study purpose was to describe the transition experiences of former women’s collegiate soccer athletes, including both positive and negative contributing factors. Using a deductive conceptual content analysis, results showcase both positive (i.e., social support, career goals, recreational sport play) and negative (i.e., lack of a team/support, lack of soccer/competition, lack of direction) contributors to the post-collegiate sport transition for female soccer athletes sampled. The importance of athletic identity and potential transition resources were identified. Specifically, participants endorsed career guidance, physical activity/exercise, mentorship programming, and mental health resources as potentially helpful to future athletes. Study findings expanded upon relevant transition theory and former female athlete research. Our study results may inform future research and program development efforts aimed at former female collegiate athletes from soccer and other sports

Current physical and mental health of former collegiate athletes

Background: There is a dearth of research on the current health of former collegiate athletes. Purpose: To examine the current health and related correlates in a cohort of former collegiate athletes who played in a diverse range of men’s and women’s sports with various levels of contact. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Former collegiate athletes (N = 3657) were asked to complete an online questionnaire addressing sports history, medical history, and demographics. The questionnaire also included the Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12), which yielded 2 composite scores for physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) health. The VR-12 PCS and MCS scores were compared with published US normative data using t tests and analyses of variance. Results: Mean PCS and MCS scores of the 797 respondents with complete data (21.9% of target sample; average, 14.5 years since last played collegiate sport) were 53.0 ± 6.1 and 51.7 ± 9.4, respectively. When stratified by age and sex, PCS and MCS scores were similar to normative scores in the United States. Lower PCS scores were associated with sustaining ≤3 concussions, playing in collision sports during college, and sustaining a career-ending injury (all, P <.001). No association was found between concussion and MCS scores (P =.06). Among former collegiate athletes, prevalent medical conditions included anxiety (16.2%), hypercholesterolemia/high cholesterol (10.6%), and depression (10.4%). Additionally, 5.8% screened positive for alcohol dependence, and 5.8% screened positive for disordered eating (eg, binge eating, purging). These findings were more prevalent than those reported by the World Health Organization as representative of the US population. Conversely, there was a lower prevalence of depression, bipolar disorders, and attention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD), than in the World Health Organization US population data sample. Conclusion: Former collegiate athletes appear similar to the general US population on many aspects of mental and physical health. However, observed health deficits associated with previous sports injuries warrant ongoing monitoring of the health and well-being of former collegiate athletes

Athlete burnout: Review and recommendations

Over the last two decades, growing concerns regarding the negative implications of athlete burnout have spurred empirical research on the topic. In their citation network analysis of the burnout literature, Gustafsson, Hancock and Coté, cited well over 100 publications on the syndrome [1]. Despite considerable investigation into athlete burnout, there remain a number of unresolved questions and issues. Four main aims guide the current review. First, we highlight various models of athlete burnout. Second, we discuss the measurement of athlete burnout. Third, we describe the symptoms, antecedents, and consequences of athlete burnout with a focus on social perceptions and perfectionism. Finally, we provide suggestions for the prevention and treatment of athlete burnout via an illustration of links between theory and practice. It is our hope that this review can stimulate future research in order to help athletes avoid burnout and other severe forms of training maladaptation