Piloting the Coffs Harbour Executive Functioning Screen (CHEFS): An off-road tool to predict fitness to drive.

Mental processes responsible for goal-oriented behavior - executive functioning (EF) - include working memory, flexible thinking, and cognitive control. A reliable and valid assessment of EF can inform appropriate interventions and decisions to drive. We investigated the feasibility and validity of a short, iPad-administered EF screening tool in a non-clinical sample: the Coffs Harbour Executive Functioning Screen (CHEFS).

Clinicians' views on cognitive assessment with Aboriginal Australians.

Background: A shortage of standardised cognitive assessment tools for use with Aboriginal Australians is evident. Clinicians also miss the range of guidelines necessary to inform test selection and interpretation for all Aboriginal clients. This mixed methods study examines clinicians' confidence, views and current practices when conducting cognitive assessments with Aboriginal Australian clients.

Participant perspectives of a telehealth trial investigating the use of telephone and text message support in obesity management: a qualitative evaluation.

Background: Quantitative evidence suggests that interventions involving telephone calls and text message are feasible and effective for improving lifestyle intervention adherence and clinical outcomes among adults with obesity. The aim of this article is to provide qualitative insight into the perspectives and experiences of participants who completed a telehealth trial exploring the use of telephone and text support as adjunctive tools to support a community-based obesity management program.

Methods: Focus groups were conducted in order to evaluate program acceptability and overall participant perceptions of the clinical trial.

Depression, childhood trauma, and physical activity in older Indigenous Australians.

Objectives: Indigenous Australians experience higher levels of psychological distress compared to the general population. Physical activity is a culturally acceptable approach, associated with reduction of depressive symptoms. The protective properties of physical activity for depressive symptoms are yet to be evaluated in older Indigenous Australians.

Coach Burnout in Relation to Perfectionistic Cognitions and Self-Presentation.

Coaching athletes is highly rewarding yet stressful, especially at the elite level where media, fans, and sponsors can contribute to an environment that, if not well-managed by the coach, can lead to burnout. Coaches who display perfectionistic tendencies, such as striving for flawlessness, may be particularly vulnerable-even more so if they are overly critical of themselves and have a tendency to ruminate over their performance, or if they are attempting to convey an image of faultlessness, or both. A total of 272 coaches completed a battery of inventories assessing burnout, perfectionistic thoughts, and the tendency for perfectionistic self-presentation.

Movement Competency Training Delivery: At School or Online? A Pilot Study of High-School Athletes.

Movement competency (MC) development of high-school athletes can prepare them for the requirements of physical preparation training and the demands of sport. The aim of this study was to explore the physical effects of and athlete compliance to coach-led versus self-directed training approaches in this population. Thirty-nine high-school athletes (19 male, 14.

How Does a Delay Between Temperate Running Exercise and Hot-Water Immersion Alter the Acute Thermoregulatory Response and Heat-Load?

Hot-water immersion following exercise in a temperate environment can elicit heat acclimation in endurance-trained individuals. However, a delay between exercise cessation and immersion is likely a common occurrence in practice. Precisely how such a delay potentially alters hot-water immersion mediated acute physiological responses (e.

Adding Telephone and Text Support to an Obesity Management Program Improves Behavioral Adherence and Clinical Outcomes. A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial.

Background: Behavioral treatment strategies improve adherence to lifestyle intervention for adults with obesity, but can be time and resource intensive when delivered via traditional face-to-face care. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and optimal timing of using telephone calls and text message as adjunctive tools to support a community-based obesity management program.

Method: This 8-month randomized controlled crossover trial recruited 61 adults with class III obesity (BMI > 40 kg/m) enrolled in a publicly funded obesity management service (OMS).

Development and Reliability of an Athlete Introductory Movement Screen for Use in Emerging Junior Athletes.

Purpose: A novel 4-task Athlete Introductory Movement Screen was developed and tested to provide an appropriate and reliable movement screening tool for youth sport practitioners.

Methods: The overhead squat, lunge, push-up, and a prone brace with shoulder touches were selected based on previous assessments. A total of 28 mixed-sport junior athletes (18 boys and 10 girls; mean age = 15.

Passive Heating: Reviewing Practical Heat Acclimation Strategies for Endurance Athletes.

Heat acclimation protocols-both active and passive-have been employed by athletes in an effort to attenuate the detrimental effects of heat stress on physical capacities and sports performance. Active strategies have been extensively reviewed, but have various practical and economic limitations. The purpose of this review was therefore to provide an overview of the passive strategies that have received less attention, yet may be more practical or economically viable; recommendations for athletes are also provided.

Endurance Performance is Influenced by Perceptions of Pain and Temperature: Theory, Applications and Safety Considerations.

Models of endurance performance now recognise input from the brain, including an athlete's ability to cope with various non-pleasurable perceptions during exercise, such as pain and temperature. Exercise training can reduce perceptions of both pain and temperature over time, partly explaining why athletes generally have a higher pain tolerance, despite a similar pain threshold, compared with active controls. Several strategies with varying efficacy may ameliorate the perceptions of pain (e.

Behavioral activation versus physical activity via the internet: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: A major problem today is that only about fifty percent of those affected by depression seeks help. One way to reach more sufferers would be by offering easily accessible internet based treatments. The purpose of this study was to compare/evaluate four therapist supported internet administered treatments.

Mental Health in Sport (MHS): Improving the Early Intervention Knowledge and Confidence of Elite Sport Staff.

Mental illnesses are as prevalent among elite athletes as in the general population. Despite this, there is little research examining how to enhance mental health literacy or helping behaviors in elite sport environments. A Mental Health in Sport (MHS) workshop was therefore developed and its effects on mental health literacy and confidence studied in 166 coaches and support staff working with elite athletes and teams in Australia.

[Assessing and evaluating physical activity during counseling in health care].

To make individualized counseling possible, valid and reliable measures of physical activity are necessary. In health care, quality must be continuously secured and developed. Follow-up of life-style habits such as physical activity does not differ from monitoring of other treatment in the health care setting.

Using bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling to examine global and specific factors in measures of sports coaches' interpersonal styles.

In the present work we investigated distinct sources of construct-relevant psychometric multidimensionality in two sport-specific measures of coaches' need-supportive (ISS-C) and controlling interpersonal (CCBS) styles. A recently proposed bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) framework was employed to achieve this aim. In Study 1, using a sample of floorball players, the results indicated that the ISS-C can be considered as a unidimensional measure, with one global factor explaining most of the variance in the items.

Treating Major Depression with Physical Activity: A Systematic Overview with Recommendations.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this systematic overview was to determine the most effective mode and dose of physical activity (PA) for treating major depressive disorder (MDD), and to suggest guidelines and recommendations for clinicians. The selection process consisted of a comprehensive search that was conducted up until April 2014 in the following databases: PsycINFO, Medline, PubMed and Scopus. The inclusion criteria were: (1) a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, (2) complete description of intensity, duration and frequency of the PA, (3) the participants had to be diagnosed with MDD according to Diagnostic Statistical Manual 4 th edition (DSM-IV) or International Classification of Disease tenth Revision (ICD-10) criteria (4) if the controls received any treatment, it had to be specified, (5) published after 1990, (6) consist of aerobic or anaerobic treatment PA, and (7) not be a pilotor preliminary study.

Implicit beliefs of ability, approach-avoidance goals and cognitive anxiety among team sport athletes.

People's implicit beliefs of ability have been suggested as an antecedent of achievement goal adoption, which has in turn been associated with behavioural, cognitive and affective outcomes. This study examined a conditional process model with team sport athletes' approach-avoidance achievement goals as mediators between their implicit beliefs of sport ability and sport-related cognitive anxiety. We expected gender to moderate the paths from implicit beliefs of ability to approach-avoidance goals and from approach-avoidance goals to cognitive anxiety.

Internet-delivered therapist-guided physical activity for mild to moderate depression: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective. The main hypothesis, and the objective of the study, was to test if the participants allocated to the treatment group would show a larger reduction in depressive symptoms than those in the control group. Methods.

Affective responses to qigong: a pilot study of regular practitioners.

Single sessions of Qigong have been associated with increased positive affect/emotional benefits. In the present study the aim was to refine the present understanding by using newly developed research methodologies. Therefore, affective reactions were studied in a group performing Qigong through pre-, during, and post-assessments using a modified version of the short Swedish Core Affect Scale complemented with open-ended questions.

The effects on depression of Internet-administered behavioural activation and physical exercise with treatment rationale and relapse prevention: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Despite their potential as low-threshold, low-cost and high-flexibility treatments of depression, behavioural activation and physical exercise have not yet been directly compared. This study will examine the effects of these interventions, administered via the Internet. The added effect of providing a treatment rationale will also be studied, as well as a relapse prevention program featuring cognitive behavioural therapy components.

Exploring the relationship between hope and burnout in competitive sport.

Researchers have postulated that hope may be an important factor associated with burnout. Consistent with hope theory contentions, low-hope individuals may be susceptible to burnout because they are prone to experience goal blockage, frustration, and negative affect, all of which likely increase the risk of burnout. We examined the relationship between hope and athlete burnout among 178 competitive athletes (63 females and 115 males) aged 15-20 years.

Exercise intention, age and stress predict increased qigong exercise adherence.

Adherence to exercise is paramount if desired health effects are to be achieved. Drop-out rates in excess of 50% have been reported, with the intensity of the exercise performed frequently blamed. Qigong is a low-intensity mind-body technique that may offer an alternative to more intense modes of exercise.

Intrinsically motivated qigong exercisers are more concentrated and less stressful.

Low-intensity qigong exercise has been suggested as an alternative to more vigorous exercise when striving for health benefits. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether self-determined motivation and perceived stress are related to concentration during exercise, and to the amount of exercise carried out. Leisure-time qigong exercisers (n = 279) were assessed by using the Sport Motivation Scale, Stress and Energy Scale, and by self-rated Concentration.

Does horse temperament influence horse-rider cooperation?

Cooperation between rider and horse is of major importance in equitation. A balanced team of horse and rider improves (sport) performances and welfare aspects by decreasing stress, frustration, risks of injuries, and accidents. Important features affecting the cooperation are the physical skills, knowledge, and personality of the rider on one hand and the temperament, experience, and physical abilities of the horse on the other.