O desporto como contexto para a aprendizagem e ensino de competências de vida: programas de intervenção para crianças e adolescentes

[Excerto] Introdução: Hoje em dia, a probabilidade dos adolescentes se envolverem em comportamentos de risco, que afectam o bem-estar individual, é cada vez maior, surgindo assim a necessidade de intervir no sentido de os ajudar a serem bem sucedidos durante a adolescência, juventude e, posteriormente, enquanto adultos (Danish, 1997). Neste sentido, Danish e colaboradores (1992a, 1992b) desenvolveram dois programas de intervenção psicológica que visam ensinar crianças e jovens entre os 10 e os 14 anos a serem bem-sucedidos em vários domínios e contextos das suas vidas: o programa «Going for the Goal» (GOAL) e o programa «Sports United to Promote Education and Recreation» (SUPER). Estes programas têm vindo a ser desenvolvidos e implementados pelo Centro de Competências de Vida da Universidade da Virgínia (EUA), desde o início dos anos 90. O programa «GOAL», por exemplo, já foi implementado e ensinado a mais de 25.000 jovens, não só nos EUA, mas também na Austrália e Nova Zelândia. Actualmente, está também a ser traduzido e adaptado em Espanha, Portugal e Hungria. Em 1996, foi o vencedor do prémio de prevenção atribuído pela «Associação Americana de Saúde Mental», tendo também sido homenageado pelo Departamento norte-americano de Saúde e Serviços Humanos para a Prevenção da Violência. [...

Anxiety, threat appraisal and coping in sports : individual trait anxiety differences

El propósito de este estudio fue analizar los niveles de ansiedad, percepción de amenaza y las estrategias de afrontamiento de deportistas portugueses, confirmando la posibilidad de diferenciar deportistas con baja y alta ansiedad basándonos en sus niveles de percepción de amenaza y en las estrategias de afrontamiento que utilizaban. 550 deportistas de ambos sexos, entre los 15 y los 35 años (19.8±4.5), rellenaron las versiones portuguesas de la Sport Anxiety Scale (Smith, Smoll, & Schutz, 1990) y del Brief COPE (Carver, 1997), así como la Escala de Avaliação Cognitiva da Competição - Percepção de Ameaça (Escala de Evaluación Cognitiva de la Competición - Percepción de Amenaza; Cruz, 1994). Los resultados sugirieron que deportistas con bajo y alto rasgo de ansiedad podían ser distinguidos a partir de los niveles de amenaza percibidos y de las estrategias utilizadas para su afrontamiento. Los resultados fueron discutidos en relación con su aplicación investigadora y práctica.The purpose of this study was to examine the levels of anxiety, threat perception, and coping strategies used by high and low-trait anxious Portuguese athletes, examining if they could be differentiated by their levels of threat perception and coping skills. Five-hundred and fifty male and female athletes, aged between 15 and 35 years (19.8±4.5), completed the Portuguese versions of the Sport Anxiety Scale (Smith, Smoll, & Schutz, 1990) and of the Brief COPE (Carver, 1997), as well as the Escala de Avaliação Cognitiva da Competição - Percepção de Ameaça (Cognitive Appraisal Scale in Sport Competition – Threat Perception; Cruz, 1994). Results suggested that high and low trait anxious athletes could be differentiated by their threat perception levels and coping strategies used. Results were discussed with regard to theoretical, research and applied issues.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Anxiety and coping strategies in sport contexts: a look at the psychometric properties of Portuguese instruments for their assessmen

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Portuguese versions of the Sport Anxiety Scale and of the Brief COPE, as well as of the Cognitive Appraisal Scale in Sport Competition– Threat Perception, namely regarding their factor structure validity and internal consistency. Participants were 550 male and female athletes of several sports, aged 15 to 35 years old (M=19.8; SD=4.5). Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated that the instruments demonstrated good psychometric properties. In general, the measurement models provided a good fit to the empirical data and with the exception of some scales of the Brief COPE, the calculated Cronbach’s a coefficient of reliability indicated adequate internal consistency for the three instruments. Overall, the results of the present study provided evidence for these instruments’ validity and reliability, ultimately supporting their importance for research and psychological intervention in sport contexts.El objetivo de este studio fue examinar las propiedades psicométricas de las versiones portuguesas del Sport Anxiety Scale, el Brief COPE, y el Cognitive Appraisal Scale in Sport Competition– Threat Perception, atendiendo a su validez de estructura factorial y consistencia interna. Los participantes fueron 550 atletas de ambos sexos y diversos deportes con edades entre 15 y 35 años (M=19.8; DT=4.5). Los análisis factoriales exploratorio y confirmatorio indicaron que los instrumentos mostraban buenas propiedades psicométricas. En general, los modelos de medida proporcionaron un buen ajuste a los datos empíricos y, con la excepción de algunas escalas del Brief COPE, el coeficiente de fiabilidad de Cronbach indicó una consistencia interna adecuada de los tres instrumentos. Globalmente los resultados de este estudio proporcionaron evidencia de la fiabilidad y validez de los citados instrumentos, reforzando su importancia para la investigación y la intervención psicológicas en contextos deportivosFundação para a Ciência e Tecnologi

Coping strategies, multidimensional competitive anxiety and cognitive threat appraisal : differences across sex, age and type of sport

The purpose of this study was to examine the levels of anxiety, threat perception, and the coping strategies used by Portuguese athletes, and to assess differences between athletes of different sexes, ages and sports. In this investigation there were 550 male and female participating athletes, aged between 15 and 35 years (19.8 ± 4.5), representing several individual and team sports. Subjects filled out the Portuguese versions of the Sport Anxiety Scale [34] and of the Brief COPE [4], as well as the Cognitive Appraisal Scale in Sport Competition – Threat Perception [9]. The results showed that all athletes experienced anxiety and threat perception, and used varied coping strategies, with a preference for adaptative strategies. Female athletes displayed higher levels of anxiety and threat perception, in addition to a greater use of diverse emotion- and problem-focused coping strategies; male athletes reported a greater substance abuse. Younger athletes seemed to use less efficacious coping strategies, and athletes from individual sports reported higher levels of anxiety, threat perception and venting of emotions; athletes from team sports reported a greater use of humor and substances

Emotions: past, present and future

Embora durante muito tempo a psicologia tenha relegado para segundo plano o estudo das emoções, actualmente estas são consideradas essenciais para a compreensão do comportamento e funcionamento dos seres humanos em praticamente todos os ramos da psicologia. Neste contexto, a presente revisão da literatura debruça-se sobre a análise de algumas das questões que mais têm preocupado os teóricos e investigadores no domínio das emoções – modelos teóricos, definição conceptual, dimensionalidade, universalidade e relação emoção- cognição – realizando, simultaneamente, uma análise do seu passado histórico e sugerindo direcções e caminhos futuros de investigação.Although in the present day emotions are considered an important component of human functioning, essential for understanding human behavior in virtually every branch of psychology, their study was long time neglected. Thus, the present review of the literature focuses on the analysis of some of the main concerns in this domain - theoretical models, conceptual definition, dimensionality, universality and emotion- cognition relation- while reviewing its past history and suggesting future research directions.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologi

The relationship between multidimensional competitive anxiety, cognitive threat appraisal, and coping strategies : a multi-sport study

Prova tipográficaThe purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between, multidimensional competitive trait anxiety (cognitive and somatic anxiety), trait cognitive threat appraisal, and coping styles. Five-hundred and fifty male and female athletes of several individual and team sports, between the ages of 15 and 35 (M ¼ 19.8 + 4.5), completed the translated and adapted versions of the Sport Anxiety Scale and of the Brief COPE, as well as the Cognitive Appraisal Scale in Sport Competition – Threat Perception. Pearson and Q2 Canonical correlations showed that higher levels of trait cognitive anxiety and threat appraisal were positively related to emotion-focused and avoidance coping and inversely related to problem-focused coping. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of individual differences in trait anxiety and threat appraisals, regarding athletes’ coping styles.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologi

Emoções, stress, ansiedade e coping : estudo qualitativo com atletas de elite

A influência dos factores e processos psicológicos no rendimento desportivo dos atletas está, de uma forma geral, amplamente demonstrada. No entanto, poucas investigações recorreram a uma metodologia qualitativa, a qual permite uma perspectiva mais detalhada e aprofundada das emoções e cognições dos atletas. Neste sentido, recorrendo a uma entrevista semi-estruturada, a presente investigação procurou, junto de 11 atletas portugueses de elite de vários desportos, com idades compreendidas entre os 22 e os 36 anos (M=30.64±4.84), identificar as suas principais fontes de stress e ansiedade e as estratégias de coping a que recorriam em situações stressantes e/ou problemáticas, bem como explorar o papel de outras emoções no seu desempenho desportivo. Os resultados revelaram que: i) as principais fontes de stress estavam relacionadas com aspectos ligados à natureza da competição, pressões externas e ao seu próprio desempenho, sendo comuns a diferentes modalidades; ii) os atletas recorriam a diversas estratégias de coping em simultâneo, geralmente adaptativas, centradas na resolução de problemas e/ou na gestão das emoções; e iii) para além da ansiedade, outras emoções, positivas e negativas, pareciam influenciar o desempenho dos atletas.The influence of psychological factors on athletes’ sport performance is, in general, well documented. However, few investigations used a qualitative methodology, which gives a more detailed and profound perspective of athlete’s emotions and cognitions. In this sense, using a semistructured interview with 11 Portuguese elite athletes from different sports, aged between 22 and 36 (M=30.64±4.84), the present study aimed to identify their major sources of stress and anxiety and the coping strategies they used in problematic and stressful situations, as well as to explore the role of other emotions, other than anxiety, in competitive performance. The results showed that: i) the major sources of stress were common to the different sports, and were related with the nature of competition, external pressures and the athletes’ performance; ii) the athletes used several coping strategies simultaneously, usually adaptative, either problem or emotion-focused; iii) in addition to anxiety, there were other positive and negative emotions that influenced athletes’ performanceFundação para a Ciência e Tecnologi

Numerical and analytical investigation of load transfer through eccentric columns with different cross sections

Eccentric columns are not a common feature in concrete building structures. However, late changes in floor layouts and constraints due to available spaces may enforce structural designers to use eccentric columns to transfer vertical load. The load paths of the eccentric column connections can create complications. Due to the sudden changes in geometry, additional stresses are developed at the slab- column connection and a discontinuity region is created in which the strain distribution becomes highly nonlinear and unpredictable. The strut and tie method has been extensively used in analysing such complicated structural elements over the years. This method has its own limitations and is based on simplifications including the definition of the load path. This simplified method can under or over predict the design capacities of such columns, which can be inefficient or inadequate for current design requirements. The objective of this study is to comprehensively investigate the load transfer mechanism for vertical loads of eccentric columns using an advanced finite element approach. Clear identification of the load path, effective cross-sectional area for load transfer and alternative design guidelines for column-slab joint are evaluated and the preliminary work is presented in this paper.ARC DE15010170

Rotating Dilaton Solutions in 2+1 Dimensions

We report a three parameter family of solutions for dilaton gravity in 2+1 dimensions with finite mass and finite angular momentum. These solutions are obtained by a compactification of vacuum solutions in 3+1 dimensions with cylindrical symmetry. One class of solutions corresponds to conical singularities and the other leads to curvature singularities.Comment: Accepted to be published in Gen. Rel. Grav., added reference