Perceptions of coach-athlete relationship are more important to coaches than athletes in predicting dyadic coping and stress appraisals: An actor-partner independence mediation model

Most attempts to manage stress involve at least one other person, yet coping studies in sport tend to report an athlete’s individual coping strategies. There is a limited understanding of coping involving other people, particularly within sport, despite athletes potentially spending a lot of time with other people, such as their coach. Guided by the systemic-transactional model of stress and coping among couples (Bodenmann, 1995), from relationship psychology, we assessed dyadic coping, perceptions of relationship quality, and primary stress appraisals of challenge and threat among 158 coach–athlete dyads (n D 277 participants). The athletes competed at amateur (n D 123), semiprofessional (n D 31), or professional levels (n D 4). Coaches and athletes from the same dyad completed a measure of dyadic coping, coach–athlete relationship, and stress appraisals. We tested an Actor–Partner Interdependence Mediation Model to account for the non-independence of dyadic data. These actor–partner analyses revealed differences between athletes and coaches. Although the actor effects were relatively large compared to partner effects, perceptions of relationship quality demonstrated little impact on athletes. The mediating role of relationship quality was broadly as important as dyadic coping for coaches. These findings provide an insight in to how coach–athlete dyads interact to manage stress and indicate that relationship quality is of particular importance for coaches, but less important for athletes. In order to improve perceptions of relationship quality among coaches and athletes, interventions could be developed to foster positive dyadic coping among both coaches and athletes, which may also impact upon stress appraisals of challenge and threat

Precompetitive achievement goals, stress appraisals, emotions, and coping among athletes

Grounded in Lazarus’ (1991, 1999, 2000) Cognitive-Motivational-Relational theory of emotions, we tested a model of achievement goals, stress appraisals, emotions, and coping. We predicted that pre-competitive achievement goals would be associated with appraisals; appraisals with emotions; and emotions with coping in our model. The mediating effects of emotions among the overall sample of 827 athletes and two stratified random sub-samples were also explored. The results of this study support our proposed model in the overall sample and the stratified sub-samples. Further, emotion mediated the relationship between appraisal and coping. Mediation analyses revealed that there were indirect effects of pleasant and unpleasant emotions, which indicates the importance of examining multiple emotions to reveal a more accurate representation of the overall stress process. Our findings indicate that both appraisals and emotions are just as important in shaping coping

Erosion of gadolinia doped EB-PVD TBCs

Gadolinia additions have been shown to significantly reduce the thermal conductivity of EB-PVD TBCs. The aim of this paper is to further the understanding on the effects of dopants on the erosion resistance of EB-PVD TBCs by studying the effects of 2 mol% Gd2O3 additions on the room and high temperature erosion resistance of as received and aged EB-PVD TBCs. Previously it has been reported that gadolinia additions increased the erosion rate of EB- PVD TBCs, this is indeed the case for room temperature erosion, however under high temperature (825 à °C) erosion conditions this is not the case and the doped TBCs have a slightly lower erosion rate than the standard YSZ EB-PVD TBCs. This has been attributed to a change in the erosion mechanisms that operate at the different temperatures. This change in mechanism was not expected under the impact conditions used and has been attributed to a change in the column diameter, and how this influences the dynamics of particle impactio

The development of a new sport-specific classification of coping and a meta-analysis of the relationship between different coping strategies and moderators on sporting outcomes

There is an ever growing coping and sports performance literature, with researchers using many different methods to assess performance and different classifications of coping. As such, it makes it difficult to compare studies and therefore identify how coping is related to performance. Furthermore, there are no quantitative syntheses of the results from these studies. A quantitative synthesis would facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of how coping is associated with athletic performance. In order to accurately compare studies, our first aim was to develop a new coping classification that would make this possible. Firstly, we reviewed the strengths and limitations of the different coping classifications and then identified the commonalities and differences between such classifications. We opted for a three-factor classification of coping, because the evidence suggests that a three-factor classification provides a superior model fit to two-factor approaches. Our new classification of coping was based on an existing model from the developmental literature, which received an excellent model fit. We made some adaptations, however, as our classification was intended for an athletic population. As such, we classified coping as mastery (i.e., controlling the situation and eliminating the stressor), internal regulation (i.e., managing internal stress responses), or goal withdrawal (i.e., ceasing efforts towards goal attainment). Undertaking a meta-analysis, our second aim was to identify which coping strategies correlated with sports performance and whether this relationship varied according to moderator variables. Articles were sourced from online electronic databases and manual journal searches. PRISMA guidelines were used to search, select, and synthesize relevant studies. Random effects meta-analyses were performed to identify associations between coping classification and sport performance. Q, I2, and R2 values assessed heterogeneity. Eighteen published investigations, including 3900 participants and incorporating fifty-nine correlations, indicated an overall positive effect for mastery coping, a negligible negative effect for internal regulation coping, and a negative effect for goal withdrawal strategies. The findings of this meta-analysis could be used by sports practitioners to help them deliver effective coping interventions. In order to maximize performance, practitioners could encourage the use of mastery coping, but advise their athletes not to use goal withdrawal strategies

Learning together: Lessons from a collaborative curriculum design project

Based on an action research project implemented at two South African universities, we argue that content and language integration (ICL) collaborative partnerships benefit not only from collaboration between language and content specialists, but in addition, from collaboration between language specialists, general education specialists and content specialists from a variety of disciplines. However, as we illustrate below, these benefits may be accompanied by substantial challenges. We make a further claim, for the value of a transformative approach towards collaboration for content and language integration, in which the teacher/researchers engage in their practice in a critical and reflexive manner, and by so doing, foster their own deep learning, as well as the deep learning of the students

Role of the heat shock transcription factor, Hsf1, in a major fungal pathogen that is obligately associated with warm-blooded animals

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Penalization of abortion: political violence and abuse of memory in Chile

Indexación: Scopus; Scielo.Chile es uno de los seis países en el mundo en los cuales el aborto está criminalizado. Aunque ya en 1931 la legislación chilena permitía interrumpir embarazos en determinadas circunstancias, en 1989, al final de la dictadura militar de Pinochet, la legislación fue modificada, prohibiendo el aborto en toda circunstancia. Desde el retorno de la democracia al país hace 27 años, ningún Gobierno ha empujado una legislación que despenalice el aborto. En el 2015 la Presidenta Bachelet envió una moción al Parlamento para legislar el aborto en tres causales específicas. Aquella moción ha hecho surgir el ultraconservadurismo de la derecha y centroderecha chilena, quienes, intentando desvirtuar el debate público y legislativo, plantean que se trata de una estrategia para legalizar el aborto libre, comparando dicha figura con las muertes, torturas y desapariciones políticas de más de mil personas ocurridas durante la dictadura en nuestro país. Este artículo intenta dar cuenta de la situación legislativa, cultural, y del manejo biopolítico del aborto en Chile durante los últimos años.Chile is one of the six countries in the world where abortion is criminalized. Although in 1931 chilean legislation allowed to interrupt pregnancies under certain circumstances, in 1989 and by the end of Pinochet’s dictatorship, legislation was modified in order to forbid abortions under any circumstance. Since the return of democracy in the country 27 years ago, no government has pushed a legislation to decriminalize abortion. In 2015 President Bachelet sent a motion to the Parliament in order to legislate abortion in three specific cases. That motion has ignited the ultraconservadurism of the chilean right wing, who, trying to distort both public and legislative debate saying it is a strategy to allow abortions (not just under certain circumstances, as the presidential motion says), comparing this with deaths, torture and political disappearences of more than a thousand people occured during the dictatorship in our country. This article tries to make a review of the legislative and cultural situation, as well as the biopolitical management of the abortion in Chile over the last years. © 2018, UNIV SAOPAULO. All rights reserved.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-12902018000200367&lng=es&tlng=e

Air-conditioning and antibiotics: Demand management insights from problematic health and household cooling practices

Air-conditioners and antibiotics are two technologies that have both been traditionally framed around individual health and comfort needs, despite aspects of their use contributing to social health problems. The imprudent use of antibiotics is threatening the capacity of the healthcare system internationally. Similarly, in Australia the increasing reliance on air-conditioning to maintain thermal comfort is contributing to rising peak demand and electricity prices, and is placing an inequitable health and financial burden on vulnerable heat-stressed households. This paper analyses policy responses to these problems through the lens of social practice theory. In the health sector, campaigns are attempting to emphasise the social health implications of antibiotic use. In considering this approach in relation to the problem of air-conditioned cooling and how to change the ways in which people keep cool during peak times, our analysis draws on interviews with 80 Australian households. We find that the problem of peak electricity demand may be reduced through attention to the social health implications of air-conditioned cooling on very hot days. We conclude that social practice theory offers a fruitful analytical route for identifying new avenues for research and informing policy responses to emerging health and environmental problems

The applicability of self-regulation theories in sport : goal adjustment capacities, stress appraisals, coping and well-being among athletes

Objectives: We examined a model, informed by self-regulation theories, which included goal adjustment capacities, appraisals of challenge and threat, coping, and well-being. Design: Prospective. Methods: Two hundred and twelve athletes from the United Kingdom (n = 147) or Australia (n = 65), who played team (n = 135) or individual sports (n = 77), and competed at international (n = 7), national (n = 11), county (n = 67), club (n = 84), or beginner (n = 43) levels participated in this study. Participants completed measures of goal adjustment capacities and stress appraisals two days before competing. Athletes also completed questions on coping and well-being within three hours of their competition ending. Results: The way an athlete responds to an unattainable goal is associated with his or her well-being in the period leading up to and including the competition. Goal reengagement positively predicted well-being, whereas goal disengagement negatively predicted well-being. Further, goal reengagement was positively associated with challenge appraisals, which in turn was linked to task-oriented coping, and task-oriented coping positively associated with well-being. Conclusion: When highly-valued goals become unattainable, consultants could encourage athletes to seek out alternative approaches to achieve the same goal or help them develop a completely new goal

Crime in New Tourism Destinations: The Mall of America

Mass tourism has resulted in the largest scale movement of goods, services and people in world history. Tourists\u27 safety and security have become of primary importance. This research presents a preliminary investigation of the general characteristics of crime at, and near, the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, America\u27s largest mall. This recreation/shopping destination has quickly evolved into an international destination attracting an estimated 40 million visitors per year. Crime rates did increase with the building of the Mall of America. It does, however, account for less than 11 percent of monthly crime calls in the City of Bloomington. Furthermore, when comparing crime indexes of other cities, the Mall as a city would have a much lower crime rate than other places of comparable population