A consumer assessment of women who use wheelchairs

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 40-49
Author(s):  
Mark Greenhalgh ◽  
Stephanie Rigot ◽  
Stacy Eckstein ◽  
James Joseph ◽  
Rosemarie M. Cooper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Female Athletes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sporting Events ◽  
Female Veterans ◽  
Related Services ◽  
It Service ◽  
Mobility Devices ◽  
Mobility Aids ◽  
Athletes With Disabilities ◽  
Consumer Assessment

LAY SUMMARY Female Veterans and female athletes with disabilities express concerns with mobility devices that are male-centric and do not address their unique needs. It is important that the needs of women are given the same attention as those of men. The following study asked groups of women who use wheelchairs or scooters, including Veterans and athletes, about their experiences. Twenty-four women, recruited from two sporting events for Veterans with disabilities, were asked to fill out a survey and participate in a focus group where they would discuss their views on mobility aids and related services. There were four major themes women often mentioned when they talked about using their mobility aids: usability (how they like using it), service delivery (how they get help with it), well-being (how they feel), and design (how it looks and works). Participants were concerned about the ability to adjust their device to their needs, how people obtained a device, and how they felt about using the device. Female wheelchair and scooter users recommended several changes to mobility aids that would improve the devices and improve the lives of women who use them.

scholarly journals Potentially Prolonged Psychological Distress from Postponed Olympic and Paralympic Games during COVID-19—Career Uncertainty in Elite Athletes

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Anders Håkansson ◽  
Karin Moesch ◽  
Caroline Jönsson ◽  
Göran Kenttä
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Job Insecurity ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Sporting Events ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Career Uncertainty ◽  
Paralympic Games

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on the world of sports due to periods of home quarantine, bans against public gatherings, travel restrictions, and a large number of postponed or canceled major sporting events. The literature hitherto is sparse, but early indications display signs of psychological impact on elite athletes due to the pandemic. However, beyond acute effects from lockdown and short-term interrupted athletic seasons, the postponed and still uncertain Olympic and Paralympic Games may represent a major career insecurity to many athletes world-wide, and may lead to severe changes to everyday lives and potentially prolonged psychological distress. Given the long-term perspective of these changes, researchers and stakeholders should address mental health and long-term job insecurity in athletes, including a specific focus on those with small financial margins, such as many female athletes, parasports athletes, athletes in smaller sports, and athletes from developing countries. Implications and the need for research are discussed.

The Antecedents and Consequences of Subjective Well-Being among Sport Participants: The Case of Korean American Sports Festival

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyu-soo Chung
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Organizational Commitment ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Korean American ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Sporting Events ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences

The purpose of this study is to reveal the role of ethnic sport participants' subjective well-being as it interacts with its antecedents and consequences. The antecedents are participants' perceived benefits of sport participation and their satisfaction with an event. The consequences are participants' organizational commitment and their ethnic identity. The dynamics of subjective well-being and those constructs were tested at the 2015 Korean American Sports Festival where 283 Korean American participants reported on self-administered questionnaires. The collected data were first analyzed via confirmatory factor analysis; structural equation modeling was then used to secure the magnitude and significance of each path designed in the model. The social, psychological, and health benefits of sport participation positively affected satisfaction with the event, and satisfaction in turn affected subjective well-being. Subjective well-being positively influenced organizational commitment. Ethnic identity had a mediating effect on the relation between subjective well-being and organizational commitment. This study highlights the importance of ethnic sport participants' subjective well-being in understanding how the quality of their experience makes them committed to an ethnic sport organization. Ethnic sporting events can implement the findings to facilitate an increase in the subjective well-being of their events' participants.

Subjective Well-Being and Events

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanyi Nicole Yu ◽  
Judith Mair ◽  
Andy Lee ◽  
Faith Ong
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sporting Events ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Measurement Tools ◽  
Final Approach ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Psychology Literature ◽  
Western Perspective

The economic and social-cultural impacts of events are well documented in the existing events literature. The emergence of quality of life (QOL), well-being and happiness in the positive psychology literature has accelerated research on events and individuals’ subjective well-being (SWB). Taking a narrative synthesis approach, this study identifies a total of 46 peer reviewed journal articles on SWB and events and reviews how SWB has been discussed and investigated in the events context. The results of this study reveal three key approaches to SWB and events. The first approach takes SWB as synonymous with the benefits and impacts of events. The second approach examines SWB in terms of its relationship with the motivations and satisfaction of event participants and local residents. The final approach to SWB examines the relationship between SWB and the event (including festivalscape) experience. The review findings also identify areas of potential weakness in the existing literature. The existing event studies relating to SWB primarily focus on sporting events, with only a few festivals, are often undertaken from a Western perspective, and generally rely on quantitative approaches. More importantly, the extant event literature appears to use the SWB concept loosely without agreement on its structure or key components. Suggestions for future research lie in further conceptualisation of SWB in the events context with validated measurement tools and conceptual models, and closer examination of the causal relationship between event (experience) and levels of SWB.

scholarly journals P091 The impact of cognitive fitness and gender on sleep quantity and timing and mental health of competitive athletes

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A50-A51
Author(s):  
L Mascaro ◽  
S Drummond ◽  
J Leota ◽  
J Boardman ◽  
D Hoffman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sleep Time ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Sleep Quantity ◽  
Competitive Athletes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction Mental fitness is increasingly considered key to an athlete’s competitive arsenal. Its active ingredients include cognitive fitness factors, such as impulse control, and recovery factors, such as sleep, which may differ between male and female athletes. Our study investigated: 1) gender differences in cognitive fitness; and 2) the associations of gender and cognitive fitness with sleep and mental health in competitive athletes during the COVID-19 lockdown. Methods 84 athletes competing at levels from regional/state to international (42F, mean age=23.2) completed a questionnaire battery containing validated measures of: a) depression, anxiety, and stress; b) sleep (Total Sleep Time, Sleep Latency, mid-sleep time on training- and competition-free days); and c) self-control, intolerance of uncertainty, and impulsivity (representing cognitive fitness constructs). Results Female athletes reported significantly higher depression, anxiety, and stress, a later mid-sleep time on free days, lower self-control, higher intolerance of uncertainty, and higher positive urgency impulsivity compared with male athletes. Self-control was negatively associated, and intolerance of uncertainty was positively associated, with depression, anxiety, and mid-sleep time on free days. Discussion Female athletes in our sample reported poorer mental health and cognitive fitness, and later sleeping times on free days. Greater cognitive fitness was associated with better mental health, independent of gender. Overall, these findings are consistent with prior work in community samples. Future work should examine the source(s) of these gender differences. If replicated, our findings would suggest a need to develop interventions aimed at improving athlete well-being, potentially with a particular focus on female athletes.

Effect of a mindfulness programme training on mental toughness and psychological well-being of female athletes

2021 ◽  
pp. 103985622110570
Author(s):  
Ajilchi Bita ◽  
Mohebi Mahmoud ◽  
Zarei Sahar ◽  
Kisely Steve
Keyword(s):  
Female Athletes ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mindfulness Training ◽  
Mental Toughness ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Mixed Analysis ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Objectives Research has shown that mindfulness in athletes is associated with positive outcomes. We therefore assessed the effect of mindfulness training on increasing mental toughness (MT) and psychological well-being (PWB). Methods This was a parallel-group, pre-and post-test, randomised controlled pilot trial. Forty-five female athletes from Iranian universities in Tehran were randomly assigned into experimental ( n = 23) and control groups ( n = 22). Forty-two completed the trial. The mindfulness training group received the Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment programme for 7 weeks. All subjects completed the Mindfulness Inventory for Sport (MIS), Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire and PWB Scale. Data were analysed using mixed analysis of variance. Results Mindfulness training increased mindfulness in the experimental group ( p < 0.01). In turn, increased mindfulness led to increased MT and PWB at 2-month follow-up ( p < 0.05). Conclusions Given that mindfulness training may increase the MT and PWB of athletes, these techniques should be considered for inclusion in sports coaching.

Major Metrics, Concerns, and Assessment Strategy for Mobility Assistive Devices

2020 ◽  
pp. 171-203
Author(s):  
Yiannis Koumpouros
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Assistive Devices ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Assistive Device ◽  
Mobility Devices ◽  
Mobility Aids ◽  
Environmental Causes ◽  
Elderly Mobility

The ageing of the population is one of the major societal and financial problems. The prevalence of disability increases dramatically by age. The loss of mobility can be devastating to the elderly. Mobility aids are a one-way street to maintain independent mobility. The performance of daily activities is restrained by a series of factors related to the assistive device limitations, or the ones emerged from environmental causes. A literature review reveals minimal tools for assessing mobility assistive devices able to capture users' satisfaction. The chapter presents an assessment methodology in order to investigate assistive mobility devices' limitations, dissatisfaction reasons, and identifies the most appropriate tools to study such limitations and conclude in valid outcomes. One of the valuable characteristics of the study presented in its generalizability since it is not disease oriented. A summary of the results from both the literature review and the real case study on a mixed group of end users are presented in the chapter.

A Qualitative Exploration of Division I Tennis Players Completing the Mindfulness Meditation Training for Sport 2.0 Program

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Cote ◽  
Amy Baltzell ◽  
Robert Diehl
Keyword(s):  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Division I ◽  
Independent Practice ◽  
Tennis Players ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Internal States ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

The present study examined college tennis players’ experience of the 6-hr sport-tailored mindfulness- and self-compassion-based intervention Mindfulness Meditation Training for Sport 2.0 (MMTS 2.0). Nine college athletes participated in individual semistructured interviews. Interview results revealed that the athletes perceived the mindfulness and self-compassions skills as valuable tools to respond optimally to adversity through observing, accepting, and offering self-compassion toward negative internal states on and off the court. The mindfulness and self-compassion skills were described as creating enhanced ability to overcome challenges and improve focus on the court and an enhanced quality of life off the court, including self-reported well-being markers. The participants also noted several challenges in completing the program (i.e., discomfort meditating, lack of independent practice, and hectic schedule as a student-athlete). These findings provide insight into how the delivery of mindfulness and self-compassion skills in a time-limited environment helps male and female athletes combat competition distress.

Performance Enhancement

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developmental Model ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Psychological Skills Training ◽  
Disability Sport ◽  
Athletes With Disabilities ◽  
Training Quality ◽  
And Performance

Athletes with disabilities can perform more consistently and come closer to their potential if they maximize their mental skills as well as their physical skills. The purpose of this chapter is to present of humanistic developmental model of psychological skills training and an examination of disability sport psychology research on psychological skills. A humanistic developmental model prioritizes both athlete performance and well-being as they are viewed as complementary goals that exert a bidirectional influence on each other. In this model foundational factors, psychological skills and qualities, psychological methods, and facilitative and debilitative factors are seen as relatively distinct categories. Researchers have supported the importance of foundational factors, as reported in other chapters. Researchers have also supported the value of imagery and self-talk as methods to enhance confidence, motivation, and psychological skills, which in turn are positively related to performance. A host of facilitative and debilitative factors in disability sport also influence training quality and performance.

Reasons for Career Termination in Danish Elite Athletes: Investigating Gender Differences and the Time-point as Potential Correlates

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 49-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Moesch
Keyword(s):  
Female Athletes ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Peak Performance ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Being There ◽  
Career Termination ◽  
Time Point

Abstract Introduction: Career termination, an inevitable step in every athlete’s career, has received increased attention within sport psychological research. A career termination that results in psychological problems is of special concern for sport federations, organizations and clubs. Research has shown that it is crucial to consider an athlete’s the reason for career termination. There is evidence that the causes of an involuntary and unplanned career termination are disadvantageous for athletes’ well-being. There are many important aspects of career termination, such as cultural and social aspects, gender, and the time-point of the occurrence. The present study therefore aims at investigating the causes of career termination and possible correlates with gender and the time-point thereof among Danish elite athletes. Method: Data was gathered from 68 retired Danish elite athletes about their reasons for career termination and about its time-point. A qualitative analysis with the reasons mentioned by the athletes was performed. Moreover, t-tests and chi-square tests were conducted to analyze differences between males and females, and among athletes ending their career at different time-points in their career. Results: The results revealed 10 different reasons given for career termination with lack of motivation, injury or health problems and family related reasons being the top three. Female athletes mentioned that they ended their career due to family-related reasons more often than their male peers. More than a third of all athletes ended their career before their perceived achievement of peak performance. Financial reasons seemed to be of more importance for career termination for athletes ending their career before or at peaking, whereas family-related reasons were more often mentioned by athletes during or after their performance peak. Discussion and conclusion: The results of the study provide an overview of the career termination reasons of Danish elite athletes, which can provide practitioners and organizations with helpful insight when designing respective interventions. When planning such interventions it could be advantageous to deliver specific support for women to enable them to optimally combine family life with an elite sport career.

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