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Adaptation of psychological performance inventory for sport schools’ students /
No full textRecently, there has been an increasing need to develop mental toughness of students who participate in sport, in order to improve their adaptation not only during sporting activities but also in other contexts. Developing mental toughness skills among sport school students is one of the main ways to ensure their psychological well-being, and therefore research in this area is of great importance. However, there is currently a lack of adapted validity measures that consider sociocultural factors to assess their psychological skills, namely mental toughness. For this purpose, it is necessary to adapt and validate a modern, useful measure of psychological resilience skills. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to conduct an adaptation of the Psychological Performance Inventory-Alternative (PPI-A) for sport school students. The participants of the study were 378 basketball sport school students aged 15-18 years from different Lithuanian basketball sport schools. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted using Jamovi software. Pearson correlation coefficients and average variance extracted were calculated using Jamovi software and Excel program. These indicators were used to check the convergent and discriminant validity of the questionnaire. Reliability of the questionnaire was checked using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega. Structural equation modelling showed an acceptable fit of the four-factor PPIA model. Validity and reliability analyses revealed a good level of internal consistency between the factors. Given the appropriate psychometric properties, the Lithuanian version of the Psychological Performance Inventory-Alternative (PPI-A) can be used in studies aimed at better understanding of mental toughness among sport school students. Further research on the structure of the instrument is also warranted in order to validate the questionnaire for other samples
Perceived coach-created empowering and disempowering climate effects on athletes’ intentions to use doping: the mediational role of self-regulatory efficacy and attitudes towards doping /
No full textBackground: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived coach-created empowering and disempowering motivational climate and doping likelihood among athletes and whether the attitudes towards doping and doping self-regulatory efficacy mediates these relationships. Methods: Athletes (N = 948; 50% male; mean age, 20.32, SD = 2.45) recruited from a variety of sports completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions of coach-created motivational climate, attitudes towards doping, doping self-regulatory efficacy, and doping likelihood. Results: The study’s results showed significant negative direct effects of a perceived empowering climate on doping likelihood (β = −0.50) and attitudes towards doping (β = −0.48), and a positive effect on self-regulatory efficacy (β = 0.48). On the contrary, a disempowering climate had positive direct effects on doping likelihood (β = 0.53) and attitudes towards doping (β = 0.45), and a negative effect on self-regulatory efficacy (β = −0.49). Significant indirect effects on doping likelihood via attitudes and self-regulatory efficacy were found. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that athletes who perceive a more empowering climate created by the coach are less likely to use banned substances due to their more negative attitudes towards doping and stronger belief in their ability to resist the temptation to use doping
Sustainable development in leisure events. Case study of “Granatos live”.
No full textRelevance of the research. After assessing the fact that the collected information about the cur-rently declared aspirations of the music festival “Granatos Live” to implement the principles of sustai-nable development during the festival shows, that the aspirations of sustainable development are not declared either on the official website of the festival or among the organisers themselves, it was decided to conduct a quantitative study, applying the survey method and interviewing the visitors of this festival. This helps to gather information on how the participants themselves perceive the implementation of su-stainable development principles during the festival. It is determined that the festival visitors want the implementation of the principles of sustainable development, a more sustainable festival, recommenda-tions, and proposals can be made to the organisers to prepare a plan for the implementation of the princi-ples of sustainable development and consider it when organising festivals in the future.The object of the research is the need for the implementation of the principles of sustainable development from the point of view of the participants of the “Granatos Live” festival.The aim of the research is to determine how the participants of the “Granatos Live” festival eva-luate the implementation of the principles of sustainable development during the festival, and what the needs of the participants are related to the principles of sustainable development.The tasks of the research:1. To investigate how the participants of the “Granatos Live” festival perceive the essence and principles of sustainable development. 2. To determine the main expectations of the participants, related to the implementation of the principles of sustainable development during the music festival “Granatos Live” 3. Submit recommendations and suggestions to the organizers of the music festival “Granatos Live”.Outcomes and conclusions. After examining the expression of festival sustainability indicators at the “Granatos Live” festival, sustainability deficiencies were identified in the following areas of the festival: education of the participants and the festival organization team on the topic of sustainable de-velopment; the selection of traders does not focus on fair trade, local regional or organic goods; there are too few actions of the festival organisers to ensure environmental protection because environmental specialists are not consulted; it is not observed what economic benefits the festival creates for the local region, although such calculations are more beneficial for the local region, it shows that there is lack of communication between them; a small cost to keep the festival going. Therefore, it is necessary for the festival organisers to take the actions that the festival participants want from them and to introduce more sustainable development principles during the festival
The relationship between emotional intelligence and sports motivation in athletes.
No full textAthletes’ motivation is a dynamic construct that may change due to some factors. For example, the experience of pleasure, enjoyment, competition, and appropriate expectations factors to participate in sports and to achieve high performance (de Franco Tobar, Meurer, & Benedetti, 2013). However, emotional intelligence (EI) also plays a significant role, as athletes experience both positive and negative emotions when faced with achievement, stress, or competitive pressure during sport and competition, which is common in both youth (McCarthy, Allen, & Jones, 2013) and adult sport (Campo et al., 2018). Athletes’ EI may also manifest as an inability to express and manage emotions appropriately (e.g., un-bridled anger, aggression, lack of control), particularly in competitive situations it can negatively affect both athletic performance and withdrawal from sporting activity. Meanwhile, the ability to understand and effectively manage emotions can influence interpersonal relationships within the team better sports performance, and enhance motivation to participate in sports (Ramajayam, 2017). Research purpose – to determine links between athletes’ emotional intelligence and sports motivation.The study involved 245 adult athletes from team sports. Among them were 109 men and 136 women. The mean age of the athletes was 21.8 ± 3.09 years. The following instruments were used in the study emotional intelligence was studied using Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale (Schutte et al., 1998). Sport motivation was investigated using The sport motivation scale II (Pelletier et al., 2013). Socio-demographic questions about athletes’ age, gender, and represented sport were also provided. Sta-tistical data processing was used to analyse the results.Results. It was determined that the emotional intelligence of athletes is higher than average. It was found that athletes can be most characterised by integrated motivation and least characterised by motivation. Women are more likely to have higher EI compared to men. Women better than men value the ability to control the emotions of others and perceive them. Men all dimensions of sports motivation were statistically significantly higher than for women, except introjected motivation. It was determined that the overall EI and EI dimensions of the participant were statistically significantly related to internal, identified, and injected motivation. The dimensions of their emotion management and perception of emo-tion are inversely related to motivation
Chronic exercise effects on overall depression severity and distinct depressive symptoms in older adults: A protocol of a systematic and meta-analytic review /
No full textINTRODUCTION: There is high evidence that chronic exercise benefits overall depression severity in older adults. However, late-life depression is characterized by considerable heterogeneity in clinical manifestation emphasizing the need for more individualized exercise intervention programs. Therefore, the objective of the proposed review is to investigate the effects of chronic exercise on overall depression severity and on different symptoms of depression in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including older adults with a mean age of at least 60 years, and by considering the moderating effects of intervention characteristics and individual characteristics. METHODS: This protocol is guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). We will use the Population-Intervention-Comparator-Outcomes-Study design (PICOS) criteria for study inclusion and will search the following database sources for relevant RCTs: Web of Science, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, APA Psycinfo, SPORTDiscuss, Cochrane. Two independent reviewers will conduct the study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment. Disagreement will be solved by a third reviewer. Primary outcome will be changes in overall depression severity and secondary outcomes will encompass changes in symptoms of depression as defined by the DSM-5, such as sleep quality, fatigue, anxiety, mood, apathy, changes in weight, information processing speed, and executive functions, from baseline until the end of the intervention and to any available intermediary measurement or follow up. Meta-analysis will be undertaken to synthesize the effects of chronic exercise on primary and secondary outcomes. Subgroup analysis will investigate the moderating effects of intervention characteristics (frequency, intensity, duration, type of exercise, cognitive demand, social interactions, exercise supervision, behavioral change techniques, compliance, study design, dropout-rate, type of control group) and individual characteristics (age, sex, education, functional capacity, global cognition, population) on primary and secondary outcomes. Additionally, we plan to assess quality of evidence and publication bias, and to carry out sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSION: The results of the proposed review are anticipated to have a substantial impact on research and clinical practice. On the one hand, the review's conclusions could form the foundation for developing evidence-based recommendations for individualized exercise programs that alleviate depression in older adults. On the other hand, by revealing research gaps, the review results could encourage the formulation of research questions for further RCTs. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This protocol has been published in the Prospero repository (PROSPERO 2022 CRD42022361418, available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022361418)
Resistance exercise effects on hippocampus subfield volumes and biomarkers of neuroplasticity and neuroinflammation in older adults with low and high risk of mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial /
No full textPhysical exercise is suggested to promote hippocampal neuroplasticity by increasing circulating neurotrophic and anti-inflammatory factors. Our aim was to explore the interplay between the effect of progressive resistance exercise on blood biomarker levels, hippocampal neurometabolite levels and hippocampal volume in older adults with a low compared to a high risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Seventy apparently healthy male/female older adults (aged 60–85 years old) were randomly allocated to a 12 week lower limb progressive resistance or no intervention, stratified for low (< 26/30) or high (≥ 26/30) Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score, indicating MCI risk. Outcome measures were blood levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) or kynurenine (KYN); hippocampal total and subfield volumes of the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) and 4 (CA4), subiculum, presubiculum, and dentate gyrus measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); and hippocampus neurometabolites including total N-acetylaspartate (NAA), myo-inositol (mIns), and total creatine (Cr) measured with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). We evaluated the intervention effect, cognitive status effect, their interaction and the bivariate relationship between exercise-induced changes between the outcome measures. Higher kynurenine levels (p = 0.015) and lower subiculum volumes (p = 0.043) were found in older adults with high MCI risk compared to older adults with low MCI risk. Exercise-induced CA1 volume changes were negatively correlated with hippocampal tNAA/mIns level changes (r = -0.605, p = 0.006). This study provides valuable insight in the multifactorial processes related to resistance training in older adults with low or high MCI risk
Minutės pertraukėlių efektyvumas vyrų krepšinyje.
No full textThe objective of the scientific research was to investigate the effects of coaches’ time-outs in men’s basketball games with attention to possessions happening after the timeouts were called during the games in Lithuanian Basketball League in season 2023–2024. Problem. Timeout effectiveness was investigated in a several studies. For example, study made by Gómez, Jiménez, Navarro, Lago-Penas, Sampaio (2011), as well as, study made by Sampaio., Lago-Penas, Gómez (2013). Nevertheless, these studies stated that timeouts should be investigated more as studies of the timeout’s effectiveness are still very limited and inconclusive. Objectives. To investigate and assess the timeout effectiveness in men’s basketball games during the games in Lithuanian Basketball League in season 2023–2024 with attention to timeout calling timing and possession outcomes tendencies as well. Hypotheses. 1. Timeout during the basketball game positively affects the score difference of a team which decided to call for a timeout and negatively affects the score difference of a team which is forced to join timeout called by opposing team. 2. Losing basketball teams call more timeouts and perform worse than teams who call less timeouts. Methods. In this research the sample was collected from 207 timeouts which occurred during randomly selected 29 games in Lithuanian Basketball League during the season 2023–2024. After every timeout 6 basketball possessions (n = 1065) were analyzed in detail. Statistical analysis was supported by various methods min., max., average, mean, standard deviation and t-test. The statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Both qualitative and quantitative data was used with high focus on the basketball teams’ score difference before the timeout and after the 6 possessions after the called timeout. Every game was split into the usual 4 quarters, each lasting for 10 minutes and no games with over times were analyzed. Results. The research summarized that there were no significant differences between winning and losing teams in the matter of when timeouts are called as well as there was no significant difference in quantity of timeouts called between winning and losing teams. A significant difference was found in the aspect between calling and joining a timeout. The research found out that teams who decided to call for a timeout positively affect the score difference after 6 possessions and teams who join a timeout negatively affect the score difference after 6 possessions. Conclusion: Timeout effectiveness can depend on whether the team is calling for a timeout or joining for a timeout. Timeouts calling timing and quantity of timeouts do not provide significant difference for basketball teams
Assesment of the leisure services organization: portrait of the Meteliai regional park consumer.
No full textResearch problem: assessment of the leisure services market using the example of the consumer portrait of Meteliai Regional Park. Segmentation of the leisure services market allows to better understand consumer’s needs, which in turn allows to develop targeted service strategies to meet consumers' needs. A consumer portrait is an essential tool to better understand consumers and their needs. Meanwhile, there was not detected a lot of new literature on the contemporary portrait of regional park consumers, so the assessment of the segmentation of the leisure services market by identifying the portrait of the consumer of the Meteliai Regional Park, is relevant and new from both the theoretical and the practical point of view. Research goal: to assess the organization of the leisure services market: the example of the consumer portrait of the Meteliai Regional Park. Objectives: 1. To reveal the essence of leisure organization and its links with recreational activities from a theoretical perspective; 2. To discuss the peculiarities of the leisure services market and to present the consumer as a structural unit; 3. To analyze the leisure services market in the Meteliai Regional Park from the point of view of the consumer; 4. To prepare a portrait of the consumer of leisure services in the Meteliai Regional Park as a market participant. Research methods: quantitative research – a questionnaire survey consisting of 5 blocks: exploratory questions about visiting the regional park, frequency of activities, evaluation of the park, general satisfaction with the park, demographic questions. Results: the study showed that women are more likely to visit Meteliai Regional Park than men, with ages ranging from 18-39 years, they have a partner and a good economic status. They live in a cottage area within 10 km of the park. They visit it mostly during the summer day. They arrive with their own car. Women are statistically significantly more likely than men to sunbathing, walking, spending time with friends/family and going picnic in a park. Meanwhile, men are statistically significantly more likely than women to go fishing and boating. Women are statistically significantly like more visit the park than men. Women are statistically significantly better value accessibility for disabled people and beauty of nature than men
Analysis of factors contributing to state body appreciation during exercise /
No full textThis cross-sectional study aimed to analyse the factors contributing to state body appreciation (SBA) during exercise. After providing their informed consent, 200 study participants (mean age 30.0 ± 9.4 years, 72.0% were men) filled in an online questionnaire immediately after the completion of resistance training (n = 125), cardiovascular exercise (n = 55), or functional/interval group exercise (n = 20) sessions. The study measures included socio-demographic variables, body mass index (BMI), the duration of involvement in sports, SBA, state body surveillance (SBS), state mindfulness in physical activity, state intrinsic exercise regulation, and perceived pleasantness during exercise. The results showed that exercisers involved in sports for >2 years and those whose body weight was within a healthy range (<25.0 kg/m2) demonstrated higher SBA and mindfulness during exercise, lower SBS, more intrinsic exercise regulation, and higher satisfaction during physical activity compared to exercisers with less exercise experience (≤2 years) and a body weight higher than a healthy range (≥25.0 kg/m2). The negative effects of being overweight or obese were more pronounced in individuals with ≤2 years of sports participation, except regarding body surveillance and monitoring the mind. The factors significantly contributing to SBA during the exercise sessions were a longer duration of involvement in sports, a lower BMI and SBS, and greater mindful body acceptance and exercise pleasantness. Decreasing SBS and enhancing mindful body acceptance, pleasantness, and intrinsic motivation during exercise might significantly contribute to SBA in physical activity. These results can inform physical-activity-based programmes aiming to promote a positive body image. Also, these results show that it is important to increase education and develop competencies for fitness coaches to create inclusive and positive-body-image-promoting sports environments
Stroke‐induced excess in capillarization relative to oxidative capacity in rats is muscle specific /
No full textStroke is not only associated with muscle weakness, but also associated with reduced muscle fatigue resistance and reduced desaturation during exercise that may be caused by a reduced oxidative capacity and/or microvasculature. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine the effects of stroke on muscle mass, fiber size and shape, capillarization and oxidative capacity of the rat m. extensor carpi radialis (ECR) and m. flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) after a photothrombotic stroke in the forelimb region of the primary sensorimotor cortex. The main observation of the present study was that 4 weeks after induction of stroke there were no significant changes in muscle fiber size and shape. Although there was no significant capillary rarefaction, there was some evidence for remodeling of the capillary bed as reflected by a reduced heterogeneity of capillary spacing ( p = 0.006) that may result in improved muscle oxygenation. In the ECR, but not in the FCU, this was accompanied by reduction in muscle fiber oxidative capacity as reflected by reduced optical density of sections stained for succinate dehydrogenase ( p = 0.013). The reduced oxidative capacity and absence of significant capillary rarefaction resulted in a capillary to fiber ratio per unit of oxidative capacity that was higher after stroke in the ECR ( p = 0.01), but not in the FCU. This suggests that at least during the early stages, stroke is not necessarily accompanied by muscle fiber atrophy, and that stroke‐induced reductions in oxidative capacity resulting in relative excess of capillarization are muscle specific