Longitudinal Changes in Elite Rowers’ Challenge and Threat Appraisals of Pressure Situations: A Season-Long Observational Study

Cumming, Samuel J.D.; Turner, Martin J.; Jones, Marc V.

doi:10.1123/tsp.2016-0087

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Appraisals are instrumental in the stress process and can provide insight into how a performer responds, and subsequently adapts, to stressors in their sport. In contrast to extant literature (Cumming et al, 2017), the present study found that in the build-up to competition challenge appraisals significantly decreased. As organizational stressors (e.g., logistics and operations) typically relate to environmental factors often out of an athlete’s control (i.e., controlled by the coach or organization), it is likely that athletes felt a lack of control and subsequent mastery of events, particularly close to competition which led to reductions in challenge appraisals.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

A Longitudinal Examination of Military Veterans’ Invictus Games Stress Experiences

Roberts

Arnold²,

Turner

et al. 2019

Front. Psychol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study explored patterns of change in stress variables (i.e., stressors, appraisals, emotions) encountered by wounded, injured, and sick military veterans in the build up to, during, and following an international sporting competition. The study also examined interactions between psychosocial variables and salivary biomarkers of stress and how these relate to veterans’ health, well-being, illness, and performance. 40 Invictus Games (IG) athletes and a control group of 20 military veteran athletes completed questionnaires at seven time points over a 12-week period. Furthermore, participants provided morning and evening saliva samples at four time points to measure cortisol and secretory immunoglobulin A. Multilevel growth curve analyses revealed significant changes in growth trajectories of stress-related variables. For example, team and culture stressors and anger and dejection emotions significantly increased in the build up to competition, whilst challenge appraisals and excitement and happiness emotions significantly decreased over the same time-frame. A number of the stress related variables also predicted performance, well-being, and mental health. Specifically, organizational stressors and threat appraisals were found to negatively relate to performance, well-being, and mental health. Furthermore, whilst challenge appraisals and problem focused coping positively related to veterans’ well-being, adopting emotion-focused and avoidance coping strategies negatively predicted well-being and mental health. Turning to emotions, experiencing anger, anxiety, and dejection negatively related to mental health, well-being and performance; whereas happiness and excitement displayed a positive relationship with these outcomes. The findings also highlighted that organizational stressor intensity was positively related to cortisol exposure at competition. To conclude, this study not only provides a novel, longitudinal, interdisciplinary insight into psychological and biological markers of the stress response as it relates to the performance, health, and well-being of military veterans, but also further contributes to theoretical understanding on the transactional nature of stress. Moreover, the findings significantly contribute to practice regarding how best to support this unique population in adaptively responding to and engaging with competitive sport.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

A Longitudinal Examination of Military Veterans’ Invictus Games Stress Experiences

Roberts

Arnold²,

Turner

et al. 2019

Front. Psychol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A more promising predisposition that is nested within challenge and threat theory is the notion of trait challenge and threat. Contemporary research with elite rowers (Cumming et al, 2017) shows that predisposed cognitive appraisal style is associated with, and further predicts, subsequent state cognitive appraisals. Specifically, predisposed challenge was associated with eventspecific state challenge, and predisposed threat was associated with event-specific state threat, on approach to subsequent motivated performance situations.…”

Section: Predispositionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes: A Revised Conceptualization

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes (TCTSA) provides a psychophysiological framework for how athletes anticipate motivated performance situations. The purpose of this review is to discuss how research has addressed the 15 predictions made by the TCTSA, to evaluate the mechanisms underpinning the TCTSA in light of the research that has emerged in the last 10 years, and to inform a revised TCTSA (TCTSA-R). There was support for many of the 15 predictions in the TCTSA, with two main areas for reflection identified: to understand the physiology of challenge and to re-evaluate the concept of resource appraisals. This re-evaluation informs the TCTSA-R, which elucidates the physiological changes, predispositions, and cognitive appraisals that mark challenge and threat states. First, the relative strength of the sympathetic nervous system response is outlined as a determinant of challenge and threat patterns of reactivity and we suggest that oxytocin and neuropeptide Y are also key indicators of an adaptive approach to motivated performance situations and can facilitate a challenge state. Second, although predispositions were acknowledged within the TCTSA, how these may influence challenge and threat states was not specified. In the TCTSA-R, it is proposed that one's propensity to appraise stressors is a challenge that most strongly dictates acute cognitive appraisals. Third, in the TCTSA-R, a more parsimonious integration of Lazarusian ideas of cognitive appraisal and challenge and threat is proposed. Given that an athlete can make both challenge and threat primary appraisals and can have both high or low resources compared to perceived demands, a 2 × 2 bifurcation theory of challenge and threat is proposed. This reflects polychotomy of four states: high challenge, low challenge, low threat, and high threat. For example, in low threat, an athlete can evince a threat state but still perform well so long as they perceive high resources. Consequently, we propose suggestions for research concerning measurement tools and a reconsideration of resources to include social support. Finally, applied recommendations are made based on adjusting demands and enhancing resources.

show abstract

“…This added level of detail would have been optimal for assessing not only anxiety but also whether self-reported arousal was characteristic of challenge or threat states. In a very recent study, Cumming, Turner, and Jones (2017) have broken new ground by measuring self-reported challenge and threat appraisal with elite rowers over an entire season, and have called on researchers to measure longitudinally but with the physiological measures as well. Taking state anxiety measurements over multiple time periods would have built a more accurate picture of the athletes in this study, compared to the single measure of trait anxiety.…”

Section: Methodological Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religious Belief vs. Religious Practice. What is More Beneficial to Elite Athletes? An Investigation of Religious/Spiritual Belief, and its Relationship to Challenge & Threat Appraisal

Jackson¹,

Wood²

2018

IntJSCS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Religiosity/spirituality has been linked with reduced anxiety in athlete populations. This study set out to assess the impact of religious/spiritual belief, opposed to practice, to see whether it too would predict anxiety, as well as feelings of control and cognitive appraisal in elite athletes (N = 115). Self-reported self-efficacy, control, achievement goals, life satisfaction, trait anxiety and strength of belief in a higher power (SBHP) were measured and analysed with simple linear regressions and multiple regressions (with challenge and threat appraisals as the dependent variables). The models predicting both challenge and threat appraisal were found to be significant, although SBHP was not a significant predictor, nor was it significantly predicative of any of the variables, or significantly correlated with them. The contribution of religious/spiritual belief to psychological benefits is compared to religious/spiritual practice and discussed alongside implications for future research and applied practice.

show abstract

Longitudinal Changes in Elite Rowers’ Challenge and Threat Appraisals of Pressure Situations: A Season-Long Observational Study

Cited by 13 publications

References 25 publications

A Longitudinal Examination of Military Veterans’ Invictus Games Stress Experiences

A Longitudinal Examination of Military Veterans’ Invictus Games Stress Experiences

A Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes: A Revised Conceptualization

Religious Belief vs. Religious Practice. What is More Beneficial to Elite Athletes? An Investigation of Religious/Spiritual Belief, and its Relationship to Challenge & Threat Appraisal

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About