The Psychobiosocial States (PBS-S) Scale

Abstract. This study examined the factor structure and reliability of the Psychobiosocial States (PBS-S) scale in the assessment of situational performance-related experiences. We administered the scale to 483 Finnish athletes before a practice session to assess the intensity and perceived impact of their performance-related feeling states. The hypothesized two-factor structure indicating functional effects (10 items) and dysfunctional effects (10 items) toward performance was examined via exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Regarding the intensity and perceived impact dimensions of reported states, ESEM and CFA showed a good fit for a tw…

Psychobiosocial States as Mediators of the Effects of Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction on Burnout Symptoms in Youth Sport

Sport participation in youngsters has been associated with long-lasting psychosocial and health-related benefits as well as increased levels of physical exercise in adulthood. The objective of this study was to examine some psychological factors of fundamental importance in enhancing sport participation and preventing burnout. A sample of 520 girls and boys aged 13–18 years, practicing individual or team sports, took part in a cross-sectional study to assess basic psychological need satisfaction, psychobiosocial states, and burnout symptoms. The specific purpose was to examine the mediation effects of emotion-related (i.e., functional/dysfunctional) psychobiosocial states on the relationshi…

Initial validation of the Psychobiosocial States in Physical Education (PBS-SPE) scale

The purpose of this cross-sectional investigation was to examine the item characteristics, factor structure, reliability, convergent validity, and nomological validity of the Psychobiosocial States in Physical Education (PBS-SPE) scale. In Study 1, a sample of 1,030 students (582 girls and 448 boys, 10 to 19-year-olds), drawn from middle or high schools, rated the intensity of the 20 items version of the PBS-SPE scale thinking about the feelings they had usually experienced in physical education classes. In Study 2, an additional sample of 1,025 students (578 girls, 447 boys, 10 to 19-year-olds), rated the 16 items of the final version of the scale. Two subsamples also completed an affectiv…

Student intention to engage in leisure-time physical activity: The interplay of task-involving climate, competence need satisfaction and psychobiosocial states in physical education

Grounded in achievement goal theory and basic psychological needs theory, the aim of this study was to examine the impact of the interaction of perceived motivational climate in physical education with psychological needs satisfaction (relatedness, competence and autonomy) and psychobiosocial states on student intention to engage in leisure-time physical activity. Participants ( N = 470 Italian students, 287 boys and 183 girls, aged 16–19 years) completed the Teacher-Initiated Motivational Climate in Physical Education Questionnaire, the Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale in Physical Education, the Psychobiosocial States Questionnaire, and a measure of intention to engage in leisure-tim…

Self-efficacy and enjoyment of physical activity in children: factorial validity of two pictorial scales.

BackgroundSelf-efficacy and enjoyment are two main constructs proposed within many motivational theories in any human endeavor, sport and physical activity included.MethodsThe purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure of two pictorial scales measuring self-efficacy and enjoyment levels in a sample of 14,035 Italian schoolchildren (7,075 boys and 6,960 girls, 6- to 7-year-olds). An important feature of the two scales is that they are in a pictorial format in order to prompt a straightforward understanding in children. The whole sample was randomly split in two subsamples according to gender and age and the factor structure of the measures was examined across subsamples.Result…

Psychobiosocial Experiences in Sport : Development and Initial Validation of a Semantic Differential Scale

Abstract Objectives To develop and validate the Psychobiosocial Experience Semantic Differential scale in sport (PESD-Sport), a new measure to assess discrete emotions and performance-related experiences in sport as conceptualized within the individual zones of optimal functioning (IZOF; Hanin, 2000, 2007, 2010) framework. Method In Study 1, we developed a preliminary 53-item version of the scale using a semantic differential format in the construction of the items pertaining to 12 psychobiosocial modalities. We chose this format to attain a clear representation of psychobiosocial states between opposites along perceived performance functionality (i.e., functional, dysfunctional). The preli…

Reactions to a career-ending sport injury : Pekka Hirvonen, a professional ice hockey player

This chapter presents an end of athletic career case of a professional ice hockey player, Pekka Hirvonen. The chapter presents his case, details of the multi-ligament knee injury he suffered, the role of athletic identity, pre-retirement planning, and coping skills in the process of transitioning out of sport. These factors are then further explained through Taylor and Ogilvie’s (1994) conceptual model of adaptation to career transition. Based on the above, an interprofessonal plan of care was developed, and the case was evaluated from the perspective of those involved: a licenced psychologist, his wife, and coach. The chapter also discusses ethical considerations, and provides an update of…

Sport Participation in Early and Middle Adolescence: The Interplay Between Self-Perception and Psychobiosocial Experiences in Predicting Burnout Symptoms

Adolescence is characterized by pubertal physical changes, cognitive development, and modified social expectations. Adolescent athletes often enter a more challenging stage of athletic development associated with increased specialization, and become vulnerable to feelings of burnout. It is therefore important to consider intrapersonal psychological factors that can improve sport participation experiences and prevent burnout. Accordingly, the aim of the current study was to examine the interplay between self-perceptions and emotion-related (i.e., psychobiosocial) experiences (e.g., feeling confident, focused, determined, physically charged, and skillful) in predicting burnout symptoms in ado…

Brief remote intervention to manage food cravings and emotions during the Covid-19 pandemic: a pilot study

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic people have endured potentially stressful challenges which have influenced behaviors such as eating. This pilot study examined the effectiveness of two brief interventions aimed to help individuals deal with food cravings and associated emotional experiences. Participants were 165 individuals residing in United Kingdom, Finland, Philippines, Spain, Italy, Brazil, North America, South Korea, and China. The study was implemented remotely, thus without any contact with researchers, and involved two groups. Group one participants were requested to use daily diaries for seven consecutive days to assess the frequency of experience of their food cravings, frequ…

Emotional Intelligence and Psychobiosocial States: Mediating Effects of Intra-Team Communication and Role Ambiguity

Emotional intelligence is an important variable related to the interaction and functioning of sports teams. The present study examined the relationship between players’ trait emotional intelligence and functional and dysfunctional psychobiosocial states. In particular, we examined the mediating effects of intra-team communication efficacy and role ambiguity in this relationship. The participants were 291 (174 men and 117 women) Italian players involved in various team sports (i.e., futsal, soccer, volleyball, handball, and rugby). They completed a multi-section questionnaire assessing the study variables during the early/middle part of their competitive seasons. Structural equation modeling…

Emotional Self-Regulation in Sport and Performance

Emotions are multifaceted subjective feelings that reflect expected, current, or past interactions with the environment. They involve sets of interrelated psychological processes, encompassing affective, cognitive, motivational, physiological, and expressive or behavioral components. Emotions play a fundamental role in human adaptation and performance by improving sensory intake, detection of relevant stimuli, readiness for behavioral responses, decision-making, memory, and interpersonal interactions. These beneficial effects enhance human health and performance in any endeavor, including sport, work, and the arts. However, emotions can also be maladaptive. Their beneficial or maladaptive e…

Coach-created motivational climate and athletes’ adaptation to psychological stress : Temporal motivation-emotion interplay

This two-wave study investigated the temporal interplay between motivation and the intensity and reported impact of athletes’ emotions in training settings. In total, 217 athletes completed self-report measures of motivational climate, motivation regulations, emotional states (i.e., pleasant states, anger, and anxiety) experienced before practice at two time points during a 3-month period. Latent change score modeling revealed significantly negative paths from task-involving climate at time 1 to the latent change in the intensity of dysfunctional anxiety and anger, and significantly positive paths from ego-involving climate at time 1 to the latent change in dysfunctional anger (i.e., intens…

Psychophysiological responses of junior orienteers under competitive pressure

The purpose of the study was to examine psychobiosocial states, cognitive functions, endocrine responses (i.e., salivary cortisol and chromogranin A), and performance under competitive pressure in orienteering athletes. The study was grounded in the individual zones of optimal functioning (IZOF) and biopsychosocial models. Fourteen junior orienteering athletes (7 girls and 7 boys), ranging in age from 15 to 20 years (M = 16.93, SD = 1.77) took part in a two-day competitive event. To enhance competitive pressure, emphasis was placed on the importance of the competition and race outcome. Psychophysiological and performance data were collected at several points before, during, and after the ra…

A Cross-Cultural Exploratory Study of Health Behaviors and Wellbeing During COVID-19

This study explored the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceived health behaviors; physical activity, sleep, and diet behaviors, alongside associations with wellbeing. Participants were 1,140 individuals residing in the United Kingdom (n = 230), South Korea (n = 204), Finland (n = 171), Philippines (n = 132), Latin America (n = 124), Spain (n = 112), North America (n = 87), and Italy (n = 80). They completed an online survey reporting possible changes in the targeted behaviors as well as perceived changes in their physical and mental health. Multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) on the final sample (n = 1,131) revealed significant mean differences regarding perceived physical…

Correction: Ruiz et al. Social Environmental Antecedents of Athletes’ Emotions. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 4997

In the original article [...]

Perceived motivational climate influences athletes’ emotion regulation strategies, emotions, and psychobiosocial experiences

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether athletes’ perceptions about the motivational climate created by their coach influence emotion regulation strategies (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), emotions, and psychobiosocial experiences of athletes. A sample of 459 competitive athletes (201 women, 258 men), aged 16–35 years, drawn from individual and team sports, completed self-assessment measures of perceived motivational climate, emotion regulation, sport emotions, and psychobiosocial experiences. Main results from structural equation modeling showed that perceived mastery climate was positively related to cognitive reappraisal, pleasant emotions, and psycho…

Self-Regulation in High-Level Ice Hockey Players: An Application of the MuSt Theory

The purpose of the study was to examine the validity of core action elements and feeling states in ice hockey players in the prediction of performance. A second aim of the study was to explore the effectiveness of a 30-day program targeting action and emotion regulation. Participants were male ice hockey players drawn from two teams competing at the highest level of the junior Finnish ice hockey league. They were assigned to a self-regulation (n = 24) and a control (n = 19) group. The self-regulation program focused on the recreation of optimal execution of core action elements and functional feeling states. Separate repeated measures MANOVAs indicated significant differences in ratings of …

Gender-Typed Sport Practice, Physical Self-Perceptions, and Performance-Related Emotions in Adolescent Girls

Youth sport experience provides opportunities for physical, personal, and social development in youngsters. Sport is a social system in which socially constructed gender differences and stereotypes are incorporated, and specific sport activities are often perceived as gender characterized. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between some salient physical and emotional self-perceptions and the type of sport practiced. A sample of 261 female athletes, aged 14–21 years (Mage = 15.59, SD = 2.00), practicing different sports, categorized as feminine (e.g., artistic and rhythmic gymnastics), masculine (e.g., soccer and rugby), or neutral (e.g., track and field and tennis),…

Predicting athletes’ functional and dysfunctional emotions: The role of the motivational climate and motivation regulations

This study examined the relationships between perceptions of the motivational climate, motivation regulations, and the intensity and functionality levels of athletes' pleasant and unpleasant emotional states. Specifically, we examined the hypothesised mediational role of motivation regulations in the climate-emotion relationship. We also tested a sequence in which emotions were assumed to be predicted by the motivational climate dimensions and then served as antecedents to variability in motivation regulations. Participants (N = 494) completed a multi-section questionnaire assessing targeted variables. Structural equation modelling (SEM) revealed that a perceived task-involving climate was …

The Multi-States (MuSt) Theory for Emotion- and Action-regulation in Sports

Feeling states – including emotional experiences – are fundamental to human adaptation, as they influence effort, attention, decision making, memory, and behavioural responses of individuals, as well as their interpersonal interactions. Thus, the ability to self-regulate is crucial for athletic success. This chapter presents the multi-states (MuSt) theory as a holistic approach for both emotion- and action-centred self-regulation for performance enhancement and optimisation. Central to the MuSt theory is the notion that a combination of emotion- and action-regulation strategies is more effective than focusing on one aspect alone. In this chapter, we describe psychobiosocial feeling states a…

Emotion Regulation

How do athletes feel when they perform at their best? How can they reach and maintain optimal feeling states? How do athletes feel when they perform poorly? How can they avoid or regulate their dysfunctional feelings? How can they optimize their performance? These are critical questions for athletes, coaches, and practitioners that have also attracted the attention of researchers. Indeed, athletes’ ability to regulate their emotional states is crucial for a successful performance. For decades, researchers have examined the relationships between emotions and performance (Hanin, 2000; Jones, Lane, Bray, Uphill, & Catlin, 2005; Lane et al., 2016; Ruiz, Raglin, & Hanin, 2017; Turner & Jones, 20…

Perfectionism and performance-related psychobiosocial states: The mediating role of competition appraisals.

Using the multi-states (MuSt) theory as a framework, the present study focused on the individual (personality) antecedents of psychobiosocial states. Psychobiosocial states comprise emotional subjective experiences and their correlates (cognitive, motivational, volitional, bodily, motor-behavioural, operational, and communicative), that can be functional for performance (helpful) or dysfunctional (harmful). Specifically, we examined the relationships between two perfectionism dimensions (perfectionistic strivings and concerns) and functional and dysfunctional psychobiosocial states. The hypothesised mediational role of competitive appraisals was also tested. Participants (N = 271, 138 femal…

Social Environmental Antecedents of Athletes’ Emotions

The coach-created motivational climate influences variations in athletes’ motivation and emotional experiences. The present study aimed to examine social environmental antecedents of athletes’ emotions. Participants (N = 262, 52% female, M age = 22.75 ± 6.92) completed questionnaires assessing perceptions of coach-created motivational climates, goal orientations, motivation regulations, and emotions. The mediation effects of goal orientations (i.e., task/ego) and motivation regulations (i.e., autonomous/controlled) on the relationship between motivational climate (i.e., empowering/disempowering) and emotions (i.e., happiness, excitement, anxiety, dejection, and anger) were examined. Structu…

The role of social interaction during pre-performance routines : An individual zones of optimal functioning (IZOF) perspective

The purpose of the current study was to provide an exploratory account of swimmers’ pre-performance routines prior to a successful performance and the influential role that social interaction plays during this time. Eight swimmers’ descriptions of their pre-performance routines were analyzed using an interpretive thematic analysis to identify salient storylines. Two overarching themes were identified: (a) athletes’ interactions with the social environment; and (b) connection between the social modality and other modalities of a psychobiosocial state. The authors conclude by promoting a move towards more contextualized understandings of pre-performance routines and an acknowledgement of the …

Brief emotional eating scale : A multinational study of factor structure, validity, and invariance

Emotional eating or the tendency to eat in response to emotional states can be assessed using self-report measures. The Emotional Eating Scale-II is a commonly used and reliable instrument that measures the desire to eat in response to a range of unpleasant and pleasant emotions. The current study aimed to corroborate the validity of the EES-II and expand its utility by investigating its dimensionality and testing its measurement invariance in samples from English-speaking and non-English-speaking countries. Convergent and predictive validity in respect of food craving, eating, and health indicators were also examined. This cross-national study included a total of 2485 adult participants re…

Actual and perceived motor competence: Are children accurate in their perceptions?

The aims of this study were (1) to investigate whether 6−7-year-old children are accurate in perceiving their actual movement competence, and (2) to examine possible age- and gender-related differences. A total of 603 children (301 girls and 302 boys, aged 6 to 7 years) were assessed on the execution accuracy of six locomotor skills and six object control skills using the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2). The perceived competence of the same skills, plus six active play activities, was also gauged through the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence (PMSC-2). The factorial validity of the TGMD-2 and PMSC-2 scales was preliminarily ascertained using a Bayesian structura…

Using Brain Technologies in Practice

Measuring Psychobiosocial States in Sport: Initial Validation of a Trait Measure

We examined the item characteristics, the factor structure, and the concurrent validity of a trait measure of psychobiosocial states. In Study 1, Italian athletes (N = 342, 228 men, 114 women, Mage = 23.93, SD = 6.64) rated the intensity, the frequency, and the perceived impact dimensions of a psychobiosocial states scale, trait version (PBS-ST), which is composed of 20 items (10 functional and 10 dysfunctional) referring to how they usually felt before an important competition. In Study 2, the scale was cross validated in an independent sample (N = 251, 181 men, 70 women, Mage = 24.35, SD = 7.25). The concurrent validity of the PBS-ST scale scores were also examined in comparison with two …

Physical Activity and Physical Competence in Overweight and Obese Children: An Intervention Study

With the current obesity epidemic and the decline of fitness among school-aged children, the importance of obesity interventions to promote physical activity and healthy habits has become indisputable. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of a school-based multicomponent intervention in increasing physical activity (PA) levels, actual physical abilities, and perceived physical abilities in clinical and nonclinical samples of overweight/obese boys and girls aged 10–12 years. The clinical intervention group (n = 35) participated in a 7-month after-school program in addition to curricular physical education lessons, while the nonclinical control group (n = 29) received usual cu…

Changes in Physical Activity, Motor Performance, and Psychosocial Determinants of Active Behavior in Children : A Pilot School-Based Obesity Program

The obesity epidemic and the decline of fitness among children highlights the need for suitable interventions designed to promote Physical Activity (PA) and healthy habits. The purpose of our pilot study was to assess the feasibility of a school-based program among overweight and obese children, by examining changes in their body composition, PA, physical fitness, and some psychosocial determinants of active behavior. An additional objective was to investigate the reciprocal relationship over time between PA and body image. Self-reported PA and health-related fitness tests were administered to 18 overweight and obese children (11.3 ± 0.4 years), before and after a 6-month intervention inclu…