Research and Practice in Talent Identification and Development - Some Thoughts on the State of Play

Although there has been considerable growth in talent identification and development research, the mixed quality and lack of applied focus means little has changed in the field. We propose the Performance-Outcome-Process continuum, a structure which examines ideas based on what and how they contribute to the talent development process. Reflecting a pracademic focus we highlight the importance of understanding the processes and mechanisms of development-focused constructs to best bridge the research-practice divide. We suggest a pragmatic approach that prioritises the quality of research and the importance of applied impact; at least in research which claims to be for sport. Lay Summary: To bridge the research-practice divide in Talent Identification and Development, it is important that translational and pragmatic research becomes the norm, with progression from the retrospective studies which have been typical in this domain. Focusing on the processes and mechanisms that generate comprehensive development would seem a logical step especially for investigations that want to make a difference in applied settings

Sports Participation and Juvenile Delinquency: A Meta-Analytic Review

Participation in sports activities is very popular among adolescents, and is frequently encouraged among youth. Many psychosocial health benefits in youth are attributed to sports participation, but to what extent this positive influence holds for juvenile delinquency is still not clear on both the theoretical and empirical level. There is much controversy on whether sports participation should be perceived as a protective or a risk factor for the development of juvenile delinquency. A multilevel meta-analysis of 51 published and unpublished studies, with 48 independent samples containing 431 effect sizes and N = 132,366 adolescents, was conducted to examine the relationship between sports participation and juvenile delinquency and possible moderating factors of this association. The results showed that there is no overall significant association between sports participation and juvenile delinquency, indicating that adolescent athletes are neither more nor less delinquent than non-athletes. Some study, sample and sports characteristics significantly moderated the relationship between sports participation and juvenile delinquency. However, this moderating influence was modest. Implications for theory and practice concerning the use of sports to prevent juvenile delinquency are discussed. Keywords Sports participation Juvenile delinquency Multilevel meta-analysis Revie

Simultaneous determination of five synthetic pyrethroid metabolites in urine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: application to 39 persons without known exposure to pyrethroids.

International audienceA sensitive and reliable method was developed and validated for the determination of five synthetic pyrethroid metabolites namely cis-Cl(2)CA, trans-Cl(2)CA, Br(2)CA, 3-PBA and 4-FPBA in human urine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. (2)D(6)-labelled trans-Cl(2)CA and (13)C(6)-labelled 3-PBA were used as internal standards. This method was based on a liquid-liquid extraction procedure in acidic conditions using hexane solvent with a basic purification, a chromatographic separation using a specific C18 column and mass spectrometric detection in the negative polarity. Suitable limits of detection (0.015μg/L for the five compounds) and quantification (from 0.020 to 0.030μg/L) were obtained for rendering the method usable for the biomonitoring of pyrethroids in the general population. The efficiency of the method was tested in 39 urine samples from French people without any known exposure to pyrethroids. At least three of the five metabolites were detected in each sample. The results of this study were compared to those obtained in previous ones and discussed

Symptoms of depression and anxiety among elite high school student-athletes in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic : A repeated cross-sectional study.

The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated numerous changes in daily life, including the cancellation and restriction of sports globally. Because sports participation contributes positively to the development of student-athletes, restricting these activities may have led to long-term mental health changes in this population. Using a repeated cross-sectional study design, we measured rates of depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and anxiety using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 scale in student-athletes attending elite sport high schools in Sweden during the second wave of the pandemic (February 2021; n = 7021) and after all restrictions were lifted (February 2022; n = 6228). Depression among student-athletes decreased from 19.8% in 2021 to 17.8% in 2022 (p = .008, V = .026), while anxiety screening did not change significantly (17.4% to 18.4%, p > .05). Comparisons between classes across years revealed older students exhibited decreases in depressive symptoms, while younger cohorts experienced increases in symptoms of anxiety from 2021 to 2022. Logistic regressions revealed that being female, reporting poorer mental health due to COVID-19, and excessive worry over one's career in sports were significant predictors of both depression and anxiety screenings in 2022. Compared to times when sports participation was limited, the lifting of restrictions was associated with overall reduced levels of depression, but not anxiety