Feeling the Stress: Salivary Cortisol Responses of Softball Umpires during National Championships.

Stress research in sports tends to focus on athletes, with sports officials typically being overlooked. In the current study, baseline, pre-game, and post-game cortisol levels among a sample of softball umpires were measured to assess the pattern of stress responses and determine if umpire performance (pass/fail) and position on the diamond (plate/field) could be predicted from cortisol levels. Nine male and four female participants aged 25-68 years ( = 13, = 47.

Strike 3 … Out! Investigating Pre-Game Moods, Performance, and Mental Health of Softball Umpires.

Mood research in sports typically focuses on athletes, with sports officials being largely overlooked. In the current study, mood profiling was used to determine if softball umpires reported an identifiable and consistent mood profile and if mood was predictive of umpiring performance and/or reflective of positive mental health. Eleven male and five female participants aged 25-68 years (M = 48.

Cross-Cultural Validation of the Malaysian Mood Scale and Tests of Between-Group Mood Differences.

Mood measures have been shown to have utility for monitoring risks to mental health and to predict performance among athletes. To facilitate use in a Malaysian context, we tested a Malay-language version of the 24-item Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS), referred to as the Malaysian Mood Scale (MASMS). Following a thorough translation-back-translation process, the 24-item MASMS was administered to 4923 Malay-speaking respondents (2706 males, 2217 females; 2559 athletes, 2364 non-athletes), ranging in age from 17 to 75 years ( = 28.

Exploring predictors of and barriers to online prostate cancer community use: A cross-sectional survey of users and non-users.

Objective: Prostate cancer survivors are increasingly turning to online communities for support. This study explored predictors of and barriers to use.

Methods: A prospective survey of 141 Australian prostate cancer survivors assessed sociodemographic, clinical, psychosocial, and attitudinal characteristics associated with intention to use, and subsequent use of online communities.

A scoping review of the characteristics and benefits of online prostate cancer communities.

Objective: Online prostate cancer communities (OPCaCs) have emerged as a new source of support, not bounded by geographic barriers, for men living with prostate cancer. This scoping review mapped the existing literature to explore the characteristics and benefits of OPCaCs, identify knowledge gaps, and direct future research.

Methods: A six-step methodological framework for scoping reviews was followed.

Athletic identity and its relationship to sport participation levels.

This study looked at the relationship between athletic identity and three levels of sport participation (elite, recreational, non-participation). Athletic identity was measured using the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) with participants being compared on the total AIMS score and scores on its three factors (social identity, exclusivity, negative affectivity). Results indicated that the male non-participation group scored lower on all three factors and the total AIMS when compared to the two athlete groups.