Running In and Out of Pregnancy : Elite Distance Runners\u27 Experiences of Returning to Competition After Pregnancy

Female athletes often feel compelled to make the difficult decision between being mother and pursuing a career as an elite athlete (Allred, 2001). The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of elite female runners’ return to competition after pregnancy. A review of the current literature in sport and exercise psychology revealed very little information on this topic. The research that has been conducted, however, proposes that pregnancy and motherhood can both constrict and enhance performance in a number of ways. For example, Balague, Shaw, Vernacchia, & Yambor (1995) suggest that elite pregnant athletes may experience anxiety due to lower levels of training and body changes. Other research on the training patterns of non-elite mothering athletes conducted by Beilock, Feltz, and Pivarnik (2001) indicates that female athletes can drastically alter their training during pregnancy with no significant negative effects on post-partum performance. This research also indicates that women with strong efficacy ratings during pregnancy are more likely to regain high performance levels after pregnancy. Eleven elite female distance runners who had returned to competition after pregnancy were interviewed for this study. Interviews followed a semi-structured guide (Patton, 1990) which explored issues related to identity, body image, and quality of life. Interviews were inductively analyzed and revealed the following four major themes: (a) athletic performance, (b) body, (c) self, and (d) social support. These themes describe a negotiation process that occurred for these athletes upon return to competition. This process entailed both resisting and reifying hegemonic notions of the “good” mother and the “good” athlete. Implications from this research can potentially help coaches and sport psychology consultants working with female athletes who are either deciding to have children, who are currently pregnant, or who continue to compete while mothering. Recommendations for such groups are provided. It is also hoped that this research will help unravel some of the ambiguity that female athletes may encounter when choosing to become mothers while remaining high-level performers

The experience of a first race: a phenomenological description

The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of novice runners during their first competitive race

Feeling Elite: The Collective Effervescence of TEAM USA at the 2012 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final

Collective effervescence is an amplified, excited reaction made possible when a group of people experience something emotional together. We used a descriptive mixed methods approach to investigate both the individual and collective emotions of Team USA age group triathletes as they participated in the 2012 International Triathlon Union’s (ITU’s) Grand Final in Auckland, New Zealand. The results of our study suggest that participation in this event evoked emotions consistent with the themes of Intrinsic Arousal, Anxiety, National Pride, and Social Arousal. Further, the results indicated that this group of experienced athletes was less motivated by performance outcome goals (i.e., placing in the top three) and more motivated by the individual and collective emotions associated with being a member of Team USA and representing the USA on a national stage. While some have suggested that the more elite athletes may be more attuned to their emotional states than less accomplished competitors, we found the very nature of the Grand Final as a world championship event, coupled with the symbols and rituals associated with Team USA membership, provided age group athletes a rare chance to experience similar states

Kisses of death in the graduate school application process

A survey of psychology graduate admissions committee chairs revealed 5 categories of mistakes applicants make that diminish their probability of acceptance. We discuss 3 strategies that psychology departments can use to decrease the likelihood that students will commit these mistakes in their graduate school applications and provide suggestions that will help students avoid these mistakes. The ideal student, seen through the eyes of graduate faculty, is gifted and creative, very bright and extremely motivated to learn, perfectly suited to the program, eager to actively pursue the lines of inquiry valued by the faculty, pleasant, responsible, and devoid of serious personal problems

Kisses of death in the graduate school application process

A survey of psychology graduate admissions committee chairs revealed 5 categories of mistakes applicants make that diminish their probability of acceptance. We discuss 3 strategies that psychology departments can use to decrease the likelihood that students will commit these mistakes in their graduate school applications and provide suggestions that will help students avoid these mistakes. The ideal student, seen through the eyes of graduate faculty, is gifted and creative, very bright and extremely motivated to learn, perfectly suited to the program, eager to actively pursue the lines of inquiry valued by the faculty, pleasant, responsible, and devoid of serious personal problems

Why You Should Be Putting Skills on Your Syllabus

In the 21st Century, attaining a college degree simply for the sake of becoming educated is a luxury most of our students simply cannot afford. Their motivation is multifaceted - they want to learn, but they also want to get hired. To help students be marketable, professors must emphasize skill development as well as content knowledge, starting with day one on the syllabus. Utilizing a small sample from two institutions (one in the Midwest, one in the Southeast), we provide evidence of students’ perceptions of the benefits of putting skills on the syllabus in both psychology and sport science courses

Child suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic in England

BACKGROUND: There is concern about the impact of COVID-19, and the control measures to prevent the spread, on children's mental health. The aim of this work was to identify if there had been a rise of childhood suicide during the COVID pandemic. METHOD: Using data from England's National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) the characteristics and rates of children dying of suicide between April to December 2020 were compared with those in 2019. In a subset (1(st) January to 17(th) May 2020) further characteristics and possible contributing factors were obtained. RESULTS: A total of 193 likely childhood deaths by suicide were reported. There was no evidence overall suicide deaths were higher in 2020 than 2019 (RR 1.09 (0.80-1.48), p=0.584) but weak evidence that the rate in the first lockdown period (April to May 2020) was higher than the corresponding period in 2019 (RR 1.56 (0.86-2.81), p=0.144). Characteristics of individuals were similar between periods. Social restrictions (e.g. to education), disruption to care and support services, tensions at home and isolation appeared to be contributing factors. LIMITATIONS: As child suicides are fortunately rare, the analysis is based on small numbers of deaths with limited statistical power to detect anything but major increases in incidence. CONCLUSION: We found no consistent evidence that child suicide deaths increased during the COVID-19 pandemic although there was a possibility that they may have increased during the first UK lockdown. A similar peak was not seen during the following months, or the second lockdown

Garbage Collection for Prolog Based on WAM (Revised version)

Warren Abstract Machine (WAM) has become a generally accepted standard Prolog implementation technique. Garbage collection is an important aspect in the implementation of any Prolog system. We first present a synopsis of the WAM and then show marking and compaction algorithms that take advantage of WAM's unique use of the data areas. Marking and compaction are performed on both the heap and the trail. The marking and compaction algorithms use pointer reversal techniques, which obviate the need for extra stack space. However, two bits for every pointer on the heap are reserved for the garbage collection algorithm. The algorithm can work on segments of the heap, which may lead to a significant reduction of the total garbage collection time. The time of the algorithms are linear in the size of the areas

Boosting soil literacy in schools can help improve understanding of soil/human health linkages in Generation Z

Soil health underpins ecosystem services like food security and therefore underpins human health. Poor soil health is a global problem which is hindering attempts to deliver the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. We focus on goals 3 (human health), 13 (climate change) which are intimately linked to goal 15 (soil health). Soil health is arguably most fragile in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where aged soils are characterised by poor nutrient and water holding capacity, and are largely deficient in micronutrients such as Zinc. Poor soil health coupled with the largely cereal-based diets can mean that micronutrient malnutrition is high in the region. In sub-Saharan Africa, where much of the population is too poor to purchase mineral supplements, poor soil health (SDG15) can therefore negatively impact on human health (SDG3). We surveyed 3661 school children aged 13–15 in three African countries, Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, for their ‘Attitudes, Behaviours and Competencies’ of soil, which we termed ‘ABC’. The ‘ABC’ survey results showed significant soil illiteracy. The survey showed that although students were generally equipped with a good attitude to (overall 52% positive) and behaviour towards soil (overall 60% engagement), they had little competency as to how to improve soil health (overall 23% knowledge). For example, less than 35% of respondents across all countries know that soil is living. Less than 13% of students are aware of the important role of soil in climate change mitigation. We believe that these two knowledge gaps must be addressed for Generation Z to understand the important linkages between climate change, soil and human health. We propose a hands-on ‘ethics of care’ approach to engage society with soil, piggybacking on existing climate change educational resources by building terrariums with living soil can empower children to learn about soil, plant, human and planetary health. The future of food security depends on Generation Z having soil literacy. Our survey clearly shows that students who think farming is a good way to make money have significantly higher levels of overall soil literacy. We propose that the future of human health depends on soil literacy

Measuring psychological pain: psychometric analysis of the Orbach and Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale

Background: Suicide is a public health concern, with an estimated 1 million individuals dying each year worldwide. Individual psychological pain is believed to be a contributing motivating factor. Therefore, establishing a psychometrically sound tool to adequately measure psychological pain is important. The Orbach and Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale (OMMP) has been proposed; however, previous psychometric analysis on the OMMP has not yielded a consistent scale structure, and the internal consistency of the subscales has not met recommended values. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the OMMP in a diverse sample. Methods: A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the 9-factor, 44-item OMMP was conducted on the full sample (n = 1151). Because model fit indices were not met, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on a random subset of the data (n = 576) to identify a more parsimonious structure. The EFA structure was then tested in a covariance model in the remaining subset of participants (n = 575). Multigroup invariance testing was subsequently performed to examine psychometric properties of the refined scale. Results: The CFA of the original 9-factor, 44-item OMMP did not meet recommended model fit recommendations. The EFA analysis results revealed a 3-factor, 9-item scale (i.e., OMMP-9). The covariance model of the OMMP-9 indicated further refinement was necessary. Multigroup invariance testing conducted on the final 3-factor, 8-item scale (i.e., OMMP-8) across mental health diagnoses, sex, injury status, age, activity level, and athlete classification met all criteria for invariance. Conclusions: The 9-factor, 44-item OMMP does not meet recommended measurement criteria and should not be recommended for use in research and clinical practice in its current form. The refined OMMP-8 may be a more viable option to use; however, more research should be completed prior to adoption