Rudolph Leon Van Niekerk

• D Lit et Phil (Psychology)
• Professor (Full) at University of Fort Hare

Until recently, research examining the application of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) in sports settings was virtually absent in South Africa. Despite the growing evidence of REBT’s potential as a psychological intervention in Western nations, its use within the multicultural and sports-fervent context of South Africa remains unexplored. M...

Background Recent data indicated an increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among adolescents. Adolescents are particularly susceptible to developing NCDs due to various risk factors such as hypertension, high cholesterol, blood glucose levels, Body Mass Index (BMI), poverty, and physical inactivity. Thus, it is crucial not only t...

The practice of sport psychology has been significantly influenced by the cognitive-behavioral approach. In particular, psychological skills training (PST) is an often-researched set of cognitive-behavioral techniques applied to sports. Recent sport psychology literature has explored how cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies (CBTs) can benefit sport...

The psychological health concerns and risk factors associated with non-communicable disease among adolescents have been prioritized on the agenda of international health institutions globally. The aims of this systematic review are to determine the various types of psycho-educational intervention programmes developed to address the psychological ri...

Background: The mental health of university staff members is often neglected and might have been exacerbated during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the mental health and well-being of staff members in an Eastern Cape university just after levels 4 and 5 lockdowns (01 June 2020) in South...

Background: The mental health of university staff members is often neglected and might have been exacerbated during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the mental health and well-being of staff members in an Eastern Cape university just after levels 4 and 5 lockdowns (01 June 2020) in South...

The mental preparation of woman athletes, including woman football players, have been neglected for quite some time. For woman football players to perform to their full potential, they need to know how to play under pressure, get out of difficulties effectively and maintain their good performance when faced with continuous challenges during the gam...

Adolescence is a crucial developmental stage of growing and development. This stage is characterised by physiological and psychological changes, such as changes in body composition and self-efficacy. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between certain body composition components and self-efficacy among 12- to 14-year-old rural...

Motivation is likely a pivotal factor contributing to sports participation. In India, because of the unsupportive sports/physical education environment, girls participate less in sports and other physical activities than boys. Therefore, embedding a planned healthy environment with good social support may maximize and, consequently, increase their...

A variety of aspects concerning Early Childhood Development (ECD) in South Africa have already been provided to you in the previous chapters. The following three sections of this chapter will therefore focus on introducing the ECD practitioner and educator to music, play, and movement in ECD, age 0–4. Each of the sections begins with theories speci...

The concomitant risk of physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle development causing various non-communicable diseases is recognized worldwide. Therefore, development of strategies to form a concrete public health policy overcoming this problem is most important. This study observed the distribution and changes of Body Mass Index (BMI) over six...

The concomitant risk of physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle development causing various non-communicable diseases is recognized worldwide. Therefore, development of strategies to form a concrete public health policy overcoming this problem is most important. This study observed the distribution and changes of Body Mass Index (BMI) over six...

Background: Preoccupation around eating and disordered eating of professional athletes has extensively been discussed in the literature. However, the extent of disordered eating behaviours at the non-professional or amateur club level in South African sport has not received the same amount of attention. Objectives: This study attempted to determin...

Introduction Attitudes, responses, and reactions of HIV-positive women in three sub-Saharan African regions toward a therapeutic exercise intervention, aimed to determine the presence of depression and low body self-image, were captured. This provided insight into body satisfaction and desire to exercise (Stage 1, n=60), body self-image and depress...

An unsteady plan for curriculum development and supportive issues in physical education (PE) has created confusion among professionals. The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors perceived as important in the development of quality physical education (QPE) by professionals in Latin American (LA) countries. A questionnaire consisting...

Background: Health is one of our greatest assets, yet we often neglect our physical health. According to the WHO, the obesity epidemic is of global concern. This article aimed to understand how a physically active lifestyle could lead to higher levels of mental well-being and life satisfaction. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess th...

There is evidence that rapid weight gain during the first year of life is associated with being overweight later in life. Therefore, overweight tendencies need to be detected at an appropriate age, and suitable strategies need to be implemented for weight management to achieve optimal long-term health. The objective of this study was to investigate...

A purposive sample of 200 (100 active and 100 inactive) adolescent students between 11 and 17 years (mean age of active students 13.40 ± 1.64 and inactive students 13.18 ± 1.40) were invited to participate in this study. The self-esteem and goal orientation of the students were determined with Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale (1965) and the Task- and...

The current study assessed the perceptions of acceptable sexual behaviour of coaches and the occurrence of sexual harassment among female student in India. A sample of 180 Indian female student-athletes at intercollegiate and inter-university levels with male coaches participated in this study. A questionnaire on sport-specific Touch and Behaviour...

The current study assessed the perceptions of acceptable sexual behaviour of coaches and the occurrence of sexual harassment among female student in India. A sample of 180 Indian female student-athletes at intercollegiate and inter-university levels with male coaches participated in this study. A questionnaire on sport-specific Touch and Behaviour...

Participation in organized youth sports has a long-term effect and is a good predictor of factors, such as the continuation of physical activity later in life or a predisposition to be active in adulthood (Telama et al., 2005). Adolescence is regarded as a period of transition between childhood and adulthood. Adolescents must address a range of bio...

Objectives. This correlational study investigated the relationship between competitive anxiety and shoulder injuries in a sample of club rugby players (N=112) from two universities and three suburban clubs. Methods. The participants were asked to complete a biographical questionnaire and the Sport Competition Anxiety Test,1 while the injury history...

This study aimed to determine the psychological skills profile of football coaches from two South African leagues. A purposive sample of 81 football coaches from the National First Division (NFD) and Vodacom Leagues (VL) with mean ages of 44.3 and 34.9 years of age respectively, were asked to complete the Psychological Skills Inventory. A descripti...

There are a number of ultra-structural and immuno-histochemical studies involving hyperbaric oxygen treatment in skeletal muscle, as well as soft tissue healing. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, in conjunction with blood platelet injection therapy, serves as a valuable addition to previously known and trusted rehabilitation techniques and protocols for t...

Background. The prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) among South African students is explored in this article. BDD is regarded as an obsessive-compulsive-related disorder characterised by a preoccupation with one or more perceived defects or flaws in physical appearance and expressed in repetitive behaviours or mental acts as a response to...

Background. Stress is an integral part of daily living, but chronic activation of the stress response without the ability to express the physical response results in overloading of the physiological and psychological systems. Objective. To decrease perceived stress by means of one known and/or one relatively unknown physical activity, namely aero...

Objectives. This correlational study investigated the relationship between competitive anxiety and shoulder injuries in a sample of club rugby players (N=112) from two universities and three suburban clubs. Methods. The participants were asked to complete a biographical questionnaire and the Sport Competition Anxiety Test,1 while the injury history...

Objectives. This correlational study investigated the relationship between competitive anxiety and shoulder injuries in a sample of club rugby players (N=112) from two universities and three suburban clubs. Methods. The participants were asked to complete a biographical questionnaire and the Sport Competition Anxiety Test,1 while the injury histor...

Objectives: This empirical study investigated the effect of a moderate aerobic exercise program on the body self-image of a sample of women (n=49) in middle adulthood with a mean age of 54.2 years. Methods: The participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=24) and control group (n=25). The experimental group participated in a (gui...

This article explores the perceptions and the occurrence of sexual harassment among male student athletes with male coaches. Most research in this field of study has been conducted from a male perpetrator-female victim paradigm and has thus been biased towards the study of female student athletes with male coaches. A sample of 98 male student athle...

The major aims of this study were to quantify the reported prevalence of unwanted sexual experiences involving male coaches among a sample of Flemish female student‐athletes and to investigate the latter's perceptions of the acceptability of related coaching behaviors. A questionnaire based on the research of Volkwein, Schnell, Sherwood, and Livezy...

The aim of this study was to determine the barriers and reasons for exercise among university students. A sample of 370 students (135 males and 235 females) with a mean age of 20.2 ± 1.46 years participated in the study. They completed a biographical questionnaire as well as two questionnaires related to barriers and reasons to exercise. Factor ana...

The purpose of this article is to focus on an additional counselling tool that complements the genogram and that will enable counsellors to successfully utilise the time spent during a counselling session. The article sets forth the thoughts of socialisation as well as various social components that influence the construction of reality of the self...

This article addresses a process that occurs when applying narrative therapy during a counselling session, namely moving away from the genogram towards the more effective genograph. Narrative therapy implies that we often talk and share stories about ourselves and that these stories are usually within a social context, whether it is our families, p...

The construction of meaning in sexual abuse This article is based on the results obtained from a qualitative study undertaken with female survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The study underlying this article is grounded in social construction methodology, functioning as a metaparadigmatic context for the understanding of society’s attribution of...