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Publications
Publications (47)
Introduction
Professional classical musicians operate within a highly demanding environment, which includes organizational, social, and emotional demands. When not effectively coped with, these demands may cause stress and negatively impact well-being. This qualitative study explored the perceived stress and well-being experiences of professional c...
Background
Police work can be sedentary and stressful, negatively impacting health and wellbeing. In a novel co-creation approach, we used the Behavior Change Wheel (BCW) and Double Diamond (DD) design framework to guide the collaborative design and development of a sedentary behavior intervention in the control rooms of two British police forces....
Informed by the Demand Resources and Individual Effects model (DRIVE; Mark & Smith, 2008), we assessed how work and individual characteristics were associated with perceived job stress, and psychological wellbeing outcomes (e.g., anxiety, depression, positive mood) in a cross-sectional study with two British police forces (N = 852 officers and staf...
A novel concurrent, independent mixed-methods research design was adopted to explore elite association football coaches’ stress and mental ill-/well-being experiences over the course of an entire season. Elite coaches ( N = 18) completed measures of perceived stressor severity, coping effectiveness, and mental ill-/well-being, with a sample ( n = 8...
The present study generated a qualitative examination of male professional football players’ experiences of stress during the loan transition using the Demand Resources and Individual Effects (DRIVE) Model. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit participants (M age = 23; SD = 2.5) from various Premier League (n = 2), Championship (n = 8), and Leag...
Hardiness has been identified as a key personal characteristic that may moderate the ill-effects of stress on health and performance. However, little is known about how hardiness might be developed, particularly in sport coaches. To systematically address this gap, we present two linked studies. First, interviews were conducted with pre-determined...
Over the past two decades, researchers have reported positive life skills outcomes for young people participating in sport-based life-skills programs. However, to date, there has been a lack of consideration in the literature regarding the quality of the programs designed and the evaluation methods adopted. Therefore, we conducted a systematic revi...
The stress experiences and their impact upon the daily lives and mental well-being of English Premier League professional (soccer) football coaches were explored using an in-depth qualitative design. Eight participants were interviewed using a semi-structured approach with thematic and causal network analysis revealing that (a) a range of contextua...
Background: Performing artists are exposed to a range of occupational demands from organisational, interpersonal and intrapersonal sources, which may impact their well-being. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate and synthesise the literature where researchers have considered the relationship between occupational demands and well-being...
This manuscript presents two linked studies that together aimed to design, deliver, and evaluate a service-user informed education programme that focused on improving coaches’ understanding of, and ability to facilitate, life skill development through grassroots football in the UK. First, focus groups (n = 14) were conducted with key stakeholders (...
Gould, ZI, Oliver, JL, Lloyd, RS, Neil, R, and Bull, M. The golf movement screen is related to spine control and x-factor of the golf swing in low handicap golfers. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-The aim of the study was to investigate the association between the golf movement screen (GMS), x-factor, which is the separation between the up...
We aimed to identify the effect of state-anger on precision, speed, and power components of performance during fencing attacks. We conducted a laboratory-based, single-case research experiment to test the fine motor task performance of two experienced and two elite-level fencers under two emotional states: anger and emotion-neutral. We assessed ang...
The growing field of sport-based youth development has explored the role of coaches in fostering athletes’ lifelong skills to deal with stressors and challenges they encounter as they transition into adulthood. However, the contribution of sport psychologists in implementing programs has received little attention and could provide a beneficial cata...
This study aimed to gain an insight into the general coping strategies used by sport psychology consultants (SPCs) based in the UK, and an in-depth understanding of their development and impact. To achieve these aims a mixed-method approach was adopted by means of two linked studies. In study one, BASES accredited and/or BPS chartered SPCs (n = 29)...
This paper presents three studies exploring the relationship between performance psychology variables and performance within a UK Government Executive Agency during substantial organizational change. Study 1 examined relationships between transformational leadership behaviours, emotional intelligence (EI), cohesion, and team performance. Task cohes...
The purpose of the study was to conduct an in-depth examination of the stress and emotion process experienced by three sub-elite-level male cricketers over a series of five competitive performances. Using reflective diaries and follow-up semistructured interviews, the findings highlighted the impact of appraisal, coping, and emotion on performance,...
The purpose of this study was to explore the stress; emotion, and coping (SEC) experiences of elite cricketers leading up to and on the day of their first competitive fixture of the season. Four elite male cricketers (M = 21.25, SD = 1.5) completed Stress and Emotion Diaries (SEDs) for the 7-day period leading up to and on the day of their first co...
Call centre staff are at risk of stress, poor psychological wellbeing and physical health problems. The current research, comprising four studies, assesses wellbeing in a call centre in more depth than has previously been attempted. Study 1 is a longitudinal study of psychological wellbeing. Study 2 investigates health outcomes. Study 3 is a qualit...
Grounded in Lazarus’ (1999) Cognitive Motivational Relational Theory of Emotions and informed by Courneya and Carron’s (1992) Game Location Framework, this study examined the influence of stress and emotions on the decision-making of UK association football referees who were refereeing at different competitive levels. Through the use of interviews,...
Despite the reported value of reflective learning in the sport literature, the efficacy of reflective practice remains in doubt due to the paucity of applied examples of its value in practice. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to provide case study examples of reflective practice interventions delivered to an individual athlete and a team. The f...
Objective: The purpose of this study was to qualitatively investigate the use of self-talk during cricket
batting performance through an innovative approach that allowed for within performance responses to
be examined.
Design and method: Five elite cricketers were interviewed alongside edited video footage of their batting
innings. Semi-structured...
PURPOSE: This study examined the direct, moderating, and indirect effects of dispositional optimism on the prediction of, and athletes' responses to, injury. METHODS: A two-year longitudinal design was conducted with a baseline sample of 694 asymptomatic participants (389 men, 305 women; M age = 19.17, SD = 1.69 years), 104 of which subsequently be...
Objectives. This qualitative follow-up study aimed to enhance the interpretability and meaningfulness of the findings that emerged from a quantitative study that explored the effect of hardiness on the prediction of, and response to, sport injury (i.e., Wadey, Evans, Hanton, & Neil, 2012).
Design. Using theory-based and maximum-variation sampling t...
In the study reported here, 12 sport performers (six elite and six non-elite) were interviewed with regard to organizational-related issues they had experienced in preparation for competition. Grounded theory procedures facilitated the development of a conceptual framework of organizational stressors consisting of five general dimensions: factors i...
Two experimental studies are reported investigating the relationship between competitive anxiety intensity and interpretation and performance within the sports of rugby union and basketball. Study 1 employed video recall procedures and the Immediate Anxiety Measurement Scale (IAMS) to assist an elite and non-elite rugby union performer recall their...
Purpose:
This study explores what individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) perceive to be the benefits of becoming involved in organized sport and identifies the barriers to participation.
Method:
Seven SCI athletes from a variety of sports were interviewed in a semi-structured format.
Results:
20 benefits and 18 individual barriers were iden...
This primary objective of the study was to examine the direct and moderating effects of hardiness on the prediction of sport injury, and the direct and indirect effects of hardiness on athletes' responses to injury.
This study employed a longitudinal methodological design. Specifically, the injury status of 694 asymptomatic participants was monitor...
The effects of a systematic cognitive-behavioral intervention program were examined upon the further appraisals (i.e., emotional orientation) of four golfers who interpreted their emotions as debilitative towards upcoming performance and the subsequent effect on actual performance. A systematic, theoretically underpinned, multiple-baseline single-s...
The purpose of this study was to examine the interactive effects of hardiness (high vs. low hardiness) and anxiety direction (facilitators vs. debilitators) on performers' competitive anxiety intensity responses, self-confidence levels and the frequency and effectiveness of coping usage. Significant interaction effects showed that the high hardines...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of experience upon the interpretation of anxiety‐related symptoms in elite performers. Initially, a preliminary inductive generalization (Patton, 2002), consisting of a focus group interview (n = 3) and individual interviews (n = 6), was conducted in order to explore the conceptual understa...
The purpose of this review is to demonstrate how the use of qualitative inquiry has advanced competitive anxiety and competition stress research. We first identify the potential reasons for researchers adopting qualitative approaches in the field, and then provide an overview of how these investigations have increased our understanding of performer...
We examined the performance and organizational stressors encountered by elite and non-elite athletes within the competition environment. Twelve sport performers (6 elite, 6 non-elite) were interviewed about both performance and organizational-related demands experienced when preparing for competition. The framework presented identifies five perform...
In this study, the presence and severity of external auditory canal exostoses (EACE) in a group of white water kayakers related to the duration and intensity of kayaking and the number of ear infections reported were identified.
A community-based volunteer cross-sectional study was completed with 92 kayakers (69 men, 23 women; mean (SD) age 29.3 (8...
In this study, we examined the influence of competitive experience (high vs. low) and performance status (current-elite vs. past-elite) upon athletes’ (N=217) multidimensional trait anxiety, self-confidence, and coping responses. Significant interaction effects showed that the current-elite group, with high experience, had the highest levels of sel...
The area of competitive anxiety continues to be extensively researched with considerable attention focused on the notion of ‘direction’. The purpose of this review is to demonstrate how the study of direction has advanced our understanding of the competitive anxiety response through providing an overview of the existing research, and emphasizing wh...
This paper reflects upon important conceptual issues in the area of competition stress. Specifically, the different perspectives of stress are acknowledged, culminating with support for the adoption of a transactional approach, where stress is conceived as a process underpinned by relational meaning. In addition, the importance of an individual’s e...
This study examined the intensity and direction of competitive anxiety symptoms and psychological skill usage in rugby union players of different skill levels. Elite (n=65) and nonelite (n=50) participants completed measures of competitive anxiety, self- confidence, and psychological skills. The elite group reported more facilitative interpretation...
The aim of this study was to examine whether self-confidence mediated the relationship between competitive anxiety intensity and direction. Elite (n = 102) and nonelite (n = 144) participants completed the self-confidence subscale of the Competitive Trait Anxiety Inventory-2 and the worry and somatic subscales from the Sport Anxiety Scale. Consiste...
This study examined the effects of hardiness, its subcomponents and skill level upon the intensity and direction dimensions of competitive trait anxiety and self‐confidence intensity. Participants (n = 199) completed the Dispositional Resilience Scale, a modified version of the Sport Anxiety Scale and the self‐confidence scale extracted from a modi...
