A mixed-methods stress audit with midwives in the United Kingdom.

Problem: UK midwives report high work-related stress, which can negatively impact their health and wellbeing, with many considering leaving the profession.

Background: An occupational stress audit guides the implementation of stress management intervention, by identifying which stressors have the most negative impact and why, and highlighting "at risk" groups.

Aim: To conduct a concurrent mixed-methods stress audit with UK midwives in an NHS Trust.

Cumulative lifetime stressor exposure and health in elite athletes: the moderating role of perfectionism.

Although greater lifetime stressor exposure has been associated with physical and mental health issues in the general population, relatively little is known about how lifetime stressors impact the physical and mental health of elite athletes or the factors moderating this association. Given that many elite athletes show signs of perfectionism, and that this trait has been linked with ill-health, it is possible that perfectionism may moderate the lifetime stressor-health relationship. To test this possibility, we examined how cumulative lifetime stressor exposure was associated with general mental and physical health complaints in elite athletes, and the extent to which these associations were moderated by perfectionism.

Effectiveness of interventions on occupational stress, health and well-being, performance, and job satisfaction for midwives: A systematic mixed methods review.

Background: Work-related stress is high in midwifery with negative implications for midwives' health and performance. This systematic review therefore examined which stress management interventions (SMIs) are most effective at reducing occupational stress and improving midwives' health and well-being, performance, and job satisfaction.

Methods: A systematic review included studies if they were: investigating midwives or student midwives; examining an individual- or organisation-level intervention; reporting the intervention effects on at least one outcome (e.

The tendency to appraise stressful situations as more of a threat is associated with poorer health and well-being.

It has been argued that habitually appraising stressful events as more of a threat (i.e., situational demands exceed personal coping resources) may increase one's risk of ill-health (e.

A qualitative exploration of how lifetime stressor exposure influences sport performers' health, well-being, and performance.

Background And Objectives: Recent research has shown that lifetime stressor exposure can negatively impact sport performers. However, this work has predominantly relied on quantitative methods, which has provided limited information regarding stressors occurring over the life course affect health, well-being, and performance. This study aimed to explore how relatively high levels of lifetime (non-sport and sport-specific) stressor exposure influenced sport performers' health, well-being, and performance.

Lifetime Stressor Exposure and Psychophysiological Reactivity and Habituation to Repeated Acute Social Stressors.

This study addressed whether lifetime stressor exposure was associated with psychophysiological reactivity and habituation to a novel laboratory-based stressor. Eighty-six participants (Mage = 23.31 years, SD = 4.

Pulling the Trigger: The Effect of a 5-Minute Slow Diaphragmatic Breathing Intervention on Psychophysiological Stress Responses and Pressurized Pistol Shooting Performance.

This study examined the effect of slow diaphragmatic breathing on psychophysiological stress responses and pressurized performance. Sixty-seven participants (40 female; Mage = 20.17 ± 2.

Assessing lifetime stressor exposure in sport performers: Associations with trait stress appraisals, health, well-being, and performance.

Research has found that greater lifetime stressor exposure increases the risk for mental and physical health problems. Despite this, few studies have examined how stressors occurring over the entire lifespan affect sport performers' health, well-being, and performance, partly due to the difficulty of assessing lifetime stressor exposure. To address this issue, we developed a sport-specific stress assessment module (Sport SAM) for the Stress and Adversity Inventory (STRAIN) and then analyzed the instrument's usability, acceptability, validity, and test-retest reliability.

Cumulative lifetime stress exposure, depression, anxiety, and well-being in elite athletes: A mixed-method study.

Research suggests that elite athletes are at increased risk of poor mental health, partly due to the intense demands associated with top-level sport. Despite growing interest in the topic, the factors that influence the mental health and well-being of elite athletes remain unclear. From a theoretical perspective, the accumulation of stress and adversity experienced over the life course may be an important factor.

Rugby union referees' physical and physiological demands across different competitive levels.

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the match demands of officiating 15-a-side rugby union at different competitive levels.

Methods: Data was collected using Global Navigation Satellite Systems from 21 referees during 82 competitive rugby union matches across three different competitive levels: 1) professional; 2) semi-professional; 3) amateur.

Results: Compared with referees at the professional and semi-professional levels, referees at the amateur level covered less total distance (P=0.

In-task auditory performance-related feedback promotes cardiovascular markers of a challenge state during a pressurized task.

Individuals evaluate the demands and resources associated with a pressurized situation, which leads to distinct patterns of cardiovascular responses. While it is accepted that cognitive evaluations are updated throughout a pressurized situation, to date, cardiovascular markers have only been recorded immediately before, or averaged across, these situations. Thus, this study examined the influence of in-task performance-related feedback on cardiovascular markers of challenge and threat to explore fluctuations in these markers.

How Consistent Are Challenge and Threat Evaluations? A Generalizability Analysis.

Viewing stressful situations as more of a challenge than a threat (i.e., coping resources match or exceed situational demands) has been associated with better performance and long-term health.

Physical Demands of Refereeing Rugby Sevens Matches at Different Competitive Levels.

Sant'Anna, RT, Roberts, SP, Moore, LJ, and Stokes, KA. Physical demands of refereeing rugby sevens matches at different competitive levels. J Strength Cond Res 35(11): 3164-3169, 2021-The aim of this study was to compare the physical demands of officiating across different competitive levels in rugby sevens.

Perceptual-cognitive expertise when refereeing the scrum in rugby union.

Compared to sports performers, relatively little is known about how sports officials make decisions at a perceptual-cognitive level. Thus, this study examined the decision-making accuracy and gaze behaviour of rugby union referees of varying skill levels while reviewing scrum scenarios. Elite ( = 9) and trainee ( = 9) referees, as well as experienced players ( = 9), made decisions while watching ten projected scrum clips and wearing a mobile eye-tracker.

Adverse life events, cardiovascular responses, and sports performance under pressure.

Research suggests that experiencing a moderate number of adverse life events can benefit future stress responses. This study explored the relationship between adverse life (ie, non-sport) events and cardiovascular responses to, and performance during, a pressurized sporting task. One hundred participants (64 men, 36 women; M =21.

The effects of arousal reappraisal on stress responses, performance and attention.

Background And Objectives: This study examined the effects of arousal reappraisal on cardiovascular responses, demand and resource evaluations, self-confidence, performance and attention under pressurized conditions. A recent study by Moore et al. [2015.

An Integrative Framework of Stress, Attention, and Visuomotor Performance.

The aim of this article is to present an integrative conceptual framework that depicts the effect of acute stress on the performance of visually guided motor skills. We draw upon seminal theories highlighting the importance of subjective interpretations of stress on subsequent performance and outline how models of disrupted attentional control might explain this effect through impairments in visuomotor control. We first synthesize and critically discuss empirical support for theories examining these relationships in isolation.

Robotic technology results in faster and more robust surgical skill acquisition than traditional laparoscopy.

Technical surgical skills are said to be acquired quicker on a robotic rather than laparoscopic platform. However, research examining this proposition is scarce. Thus, this study aimed to compare the performance and learning curves of novices acquiring skills using a robotic or laparoscopic system, and to examine if any learning advantages were maintained over time and transferred to more difficult and stressful tasks.

Robotically assisted laparoscopy benefits surgical performance under stress.

While the benefits of robotic surgery for the patient have been relatively well established, little is known about the benefits for the surgeon. This study examined whether the advantages of robotically assisted laparoscopy (improved dexterity, a 3-dimensional view, reduction in tremors, etc.) enable the surgeon to better deal with stressful tasks.

Reappraising Threat: How to Optimize Performance Under Pressure.

Competitive situations often hinge on one pressurized moment. In these situations, individuals' psychophysiological states determine performance, with a challenge state associated with better performance than a threat state. But what can be done if an individual experiences a threat state? This study examined one potential solution: arousal reappraisal.

Surgeons' display reduced mental effort and workload while performing robotically assisted surgical tasks, when compared to conventional laparoscopy.

Background: Research has demonstrated the benefits of robotic surgery for the patient; however, research examining the benefits of robotic technology for the surgeon is limited. This study aimed to adopt validated measures of workload, mental effort, and gaze control to assess the benefits of robotic surgery for the surgeon. We predicted that the performance of surgical training tasks on a surgical robot would require lower investments of workload and mental effort, and would be accompanied by superior gaze control and better performance, when compared to conventional laparoscopy.

Individual reactions to stress predict performance during a critical aviation incident.

Background: Understanding the influence of stress on human performance is of theoretical and practical importance. An individual's reaction to stress predicts their subsequent performance; with a "challenge" response to stress leading to better performance than a "threat" response. However, this contention has not been tested in truly stressful environments with highly skilled individuals.

Examining the antecedents of challenge and threat states: the influence of perceived required effort and support availability.

To date, limited research has explicitly examined the antecedents of challenge and threat states proposed by the biopsychosocial model. Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine the influence of perceived required effort and support availability on demand/resource evaluations, challenge and threat states, and motor performance. A 2 (required effort; high, low)×2 (support availability; available, not available) between-subjects design was used with one hundred and twenty participants randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions.

Quiet eye training: the acquisition, refinement and resilient performance of targeting skills.

How we learn and refine motor skills in the most effective manner and how we prevent performance breakdown in pressurised or demanding circumstances are among the most important questions within the sport psychology and skill acquisition literature. The quiet eye (QE) has emerged as a characteristic of highly skilled perceptual and motor performance in visually guided motor tasks. Defined as the final fixation that occurs prior to a critical movement, over 70 articles have been published in the last 15 years probing the role that the QE plays in underpinning skilled performance.

Champ or chump? Challenge and threat states during pressurized competition.

The present research examined the immediate impact of challenge and threat states on golf performance in both real competition and a laboratory-based task. In Study 1, 199 experienced golfers reported their evaluations of competition demands and personal coping resources before a golf competition. Evaluating the competition as a challenge (i.