Cognitive-Behavioral Strategies for Combating Drug Abuse in Sport: Implications for Coaches and Sport Psychology Consultants

1991 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark H. Anshel
Keyword(s):  
Drug Abuse ◽  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Drug Testing ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Anabolic Steroids ◽  
Educational Programs ◽  
Competitive Sport ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Intercollegiate Athletes ◽  
Professional Literature

Drug abuse in competitive sport continues to be pervasive. Numerous explanations have been given for this and the reasons range from performance enhancement (anabolic steroids) to relieving stress and boredom (so-called recreational drugs). Drug testing, strict policies and enforcement, and educational programs have continued to be the main responses to the problem. However, relatively little attention has been given to preventive rather than punitive and curative strategies, particularly with respect to the coach’s input. This article offers several cognitive and behavioral approaches for coaches and sport psychology consultants in dealing with drug abuse among athletes. The recommendations are based on personal interactions with hundreds of intercollegiate athletes conducted over a 6-year period and from the extant professional literature.

Performance Enhancement in Motocross: A Case Study of the Sport Science Team in Action

1993 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Collins ◽  
Michael Doherty ◽  
Steven Talbot
Keyword(s):  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Sport Science ◽  
Set Up ◽  
And Training ◽  
Applied Sport Psychology

Using an exemplar case study of an intervention completed in the sport of motocross, the authors attempt to demonstrate the advantages inherent in using integrated multidisciplinary approaches in the application of sport sciences to performance enhancement. The need for comprehensive, detailed, and well-planned interventions, which of necessity take time to both set up and implement, is also highlighted. In addition, the authors furnish examples of practical techniques that can be used to facilitate cognitive behavioral strategies in this type of sport. Implications for the preparation and training of applied sport psychology consultants are briefly discussed.

Examining Athletes' Attitudes toward Using Anabolic Steroids and Their Knowledge of the Possible Effects

1997 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark H. Anshel ◽  
Kenneth G. Russell
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Anabolic Steroids ◽  
Educational Programs ◽  
Competitive Sport ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Adequate Education

One goal of contemporary sports leaders is to eradicate the use of banned drugs in competitive sport. A common approach to achieving this outcome is to provide athletes with adequate education about the effects of drug use. Ostensibly, educational programs about the deleterious effects of using anabolic steroids are thought to discourage their intake. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the athletes' knowledge about the long-term effects of anabolic steroids and their attitudes toward this type of drug. Multiple regression analyses indicated relatively low R2′s and correlations between the various components of subjects' knowledge and their attitude toward steroid ingestion. This suggests that educational programs for athletes about taking anabolic steroids may have limited value in terms of creating appropriate, responsible attitudes toward this illegal, unethical, and medically questionable practice.

Drugs and the College Athlete: An Analysis of the Attitudes of Student Athletes at Risk

1997 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Tricker ◽  
Declan Connolly
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Peer Influence ◽  
Perceived Control ◽  
Drug Testing ◽  
Student Athletes ◽  
Reasoned Action ◽  
Anabolic Steroids ◽  
Subjective Norms ◽  
College Athlete ◽  
Salient Beliefs

Theories related to planned behavior and reasoned action have included an individual's attitude as an important factor in the formation of behavioral intentions and behaviors [1, 2]. Research on this topic suggests that salient beliefs affect intentions and subsequent behaviors, either through attitudes or subjective norms, or the degree of (perceived) control that an individual feels he/she has over the behavior. This study was designed to examine the relative importance of selected attitude variables in describing a profile of athletes who were at risk for using anabolic steroids, human grown hormone, amphetamines, cocaine, and marijuana. Responses from 563 student athletes at two Division One NCAA universities were used in the study. The results of this study suggest that subjective norms, based on the influence of drug testing, peer influence, and a fear of detection are significant factors that influence the decisions of student athletes related to using banned substances. In this article characteristics of at-risk athletes are presented with recommendations for drug education programs for student athletes.

Promoting mental health of junior-to-senior transition athletes – advice for sport psychology practitioners

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
State Theory ◽  
Competitive Sport ◽  
Career Transitions ◽  
Competitive Athletes ◽  
Level Transition ◽  
Counseling Approach

Mental health (MH) does not only mean the mere absence of psychiatric disorders but also the presence of well-being. Competitive athletes are exposed to risk factors for poor MH specific to the competitive sport context. One such risk factor are athletic career transitions, whereby the junior-to-senior-level transition (JST) is considered one of the most difficult of within career transitions. During this time, developmental changes must be mastered on a psychological, athletic, and educational level and conflicts that occur between the different areas of life, such as school, family, and sports can become more acute. JST is thus a particularly vulnerable period for the MH of competitive sport athletes. In this article, we describe a counseling approach that seems well suited to promote the MH of JST athletes within a sport psychology consulting setting. The approach is based on self-determination theory and ego-state theory. We illustrate the application of our counseling approach with an exemplary case. Finally, we provide recommendations for how sport psychology practitioners can promote MH in JST athletes.

The Relationship between Observable Self-Talk and Competitive Junior Tennis Players' Match Performances

1994 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 400-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy L. Van Raalte ◽  
Britten W. Brewer ◽  
Patricia M. Rivera ◽  
Albert J. Petitpas
Keyword(s):  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Cognitive Factors ◽  
Competitive Sport ◽  
Tennis Players ◽  
Self Talk ◽  
Junior Tennis ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Broad Interest

In sport psychology, there is broad interest in cognitive factors that affect sport performance. The purpose of this research was to examine one such factor, self-talk, in competitive sport performance. Twenty-four junior tennis players were observed during tournament matches. Their observable self-talk, gestures, and match scores were recorded. Players also described their positive, negative, and other thoughts on a postmatch questionnaire. A descriptive analysis of the self-talk and gestures that occurred during competition was generated. It was found that negative self-talk was associated with losing and that players who reported believing in the utility of self-talk won more points than players who did not. These results suggest that self-talk influences competitive sport outcomes. The importance of "believing" in self-talk and the potential motivational and detrimental effects of negative self-talk on performance are discussed.

Systematically Reviewing the Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Enhanced Athletic Performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 232-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Sappington ◽  
Kathryn Longshore
Keyword(s):  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Psychological Skills Training ◽  
Quality Of Research

The field of applied sport psychology has traditionally grounded its performance enhancement techniques in the cognitive-behavioral elements of psychological skills training. These interventions typically advocate for controlling one’s cognitive and emotional processes during performance. Mindfulness-based approaches, on the other hand, have recently been introduced and employed more frequently in an effort to encourage athletes to adopt a nonjudgmental acceptance of all thoughts and emotions. Like many applied interventions in sport psychology, however, the body of literature supporting the efficacy of mindfulness-based approaches for performance enhancement is limited, and few efforts have been made to draw evidence-based conclusions from the existing research. The current paper had the purpose of systematically reviewing research on mindfulness-based interventions with athletes to assess (a) the efficacy of these approaches in enhancing sport performance and (b) the methodological quality of research conducted thus far. A comprehensive search of relevant databases, including peer-reviewed and gray literature, yielded 19 total trials (six case studies, two qualitative studies, seven nonrandomized trials, and four randomized trials) in accordance with the inclusion criteria. An assessment tool was used to score studies on the quality of research methodology. While a review of this literature yielded preliminary support for the efficacy of mindfulness-based performance enhancement strategies, the body of research also shows a need for more methodologically rigorous trials.

Which Way Drug Education?

1979 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen F. Wepner
Keyword(s):  
Drug Abuse ◽  
Primary Prevention ◽  
Prevention Programs ◽  
Educational Programs ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Drug Education ◽  
School Based ◽  
History Of ◽  
Soft Drugs

Given the increasingly permissive nationwide attitude toward abuse of marijuana and other soft drugs, in what direction should school-based education/prevention programs move? After reviewing the history of such programs, the author offers a plan to decrease the incidence of adolescent drug abuse by utilizing an array of non-educational resources including youth oriented media. Achieving this goal will permit educational programs to shift their energies and resources back to primary prevention and away from intervention and treatment.

Attitudes among a Group of College Students toward Drug Abuse and the Drug Abuser

1973 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Ferneau ◽  
S. Mueller
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Drug Abuse ◽  
General Population ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Educational Programs ◽  
Drug Abuser

As a reflection of the belief that only professionals are involved in the treatment of the addictions, especially drug abuse, the attitudes toward drug abuse and the drug abuser of other than those involved in treatment have hardly, we have found, been assessed. Students, in particular, would seem to be a reasonable target population for such an investigation. One study found students to be as ambivalent as the general population regarding alcoholism. Others have found different responding groups as ambivalent toward drug abuse as toward alcoholism. Utilizing the alcoholism questionnaire, we found college students to view alcoholism and drug abuse in an equally conflicting fashion. Other findings also seem to lead to the suggestion that educational programs dealing with these pathologies would probably be more effective if combined rather than separate.

Performance Enhancement for Ballroom Dancers: Psychological Perspectives

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patsy Tremayne ◽  
Debra A. Ballinger
Keyword(s):  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Mental Preparation ◽  
Adequate Knowledge ◽  
Ballroom Dance ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Insight Into

Ballroom dance has resurfaced worldwide as a highly popular competitive sport and might be added to Olympic medal competition for the 2012 London Games. This resurgence presents opportunities for sport psychologists to provide psychological-skills and performance-enhancement training for ballroom dancers at all competitive levels. Few sport psychologists have the personal experience, expertise, or an adequate knowledge base about the competitive-ballroom-dance environment to provide meaningful intervention strategies for participants. This article was developed to provide initial guidance for sport psychology professionals interested in working in this environment. An overview of the competitive-dance and ballroom-dance environment, strategies used by dance couples for enhanced mental preparation before and during dance competitions, and excerpts from an interview with an Australian championship-level couple provide readers insight into performance-enhancement strategies for DanceSport.

Thrown to the Wolves: A Student’s Account of Her Practicum Experience

2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 324-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Tonn ◽  
Robert J. Harmison
Keyword(s):  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Theoretical Orientation ◽  
Junior College ◽  
Experiential Knowledge ◽  
Thought Processes ◽  
Initial Training ◽  
Women's Basketball ◽  
Psychology Service ◽  
Practicum Experience

This article provides an account of a trainee’s initial sport psychology practicum experience. Experiential knowledge gained by the trainee performance enhancement consultant with a junior college women’s basketball team is shared via a self-narrative in the form of a log she kept during the season and self-reflections. The log entries and self-reflections are organized around several themes that emerged over the course of the trainee’s practicum. The narrative outlines the trainee’s theoretical orientation and philosophy, highlights her experiences with the team, and reveals her thought processes related to the various situations she encountered. A better understanding of the process of sport psychology service delivery by a trainee is offered to guide other aspiring professionals during their initial training experiences.

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