Neighbourhood green space is positively associated with health. Stress reducing effects of nature might underpin this relationship, but researchers have often used objective stress measures to characterise acute responses to natural environments, or used self-reported measures in observational research. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is a novel non-invasive biomarker, with potential to improve our understanding of natural environments and chronic stress. We collected data from 132 healthy employed adults from the West Midlands region of the UK (June-Sept 2014), including socio-demographics, health, lifestyle and perceived stress and stress appraisal. Postcode was used to determine overall deprivation (Index of Multiple Deprivation, IMD), material deprivation (% income deprived) and the amount of natural environment in participants' home neighbourhoods. Hair samples (3cm) were taken from the scalp and HCC was determined to reflect past three months of cortisol secretion. Separate linear regression models, adjusting for potential confounders, indicated that HCCmeasured chronic stress was higher in participants who lived in areas that were more deprived overall (β=-.235, p=.008), more income deprived (β=-219, p=.017), and comprised less natural environment (β=-212, p=.019). When income deprivation (i.e., material well-being) and natural environment were entered in the same model, associations for both were attenuated beyond significance (β=.168, p=.077 and β=-.160, p=.086, respectively). Overall, chronic stress measured by HCC was higher in areas with less natural environment. The relative contribution of neighbourhood natural environment, deprivation and other neighbourhood characteristics to chronic stress using HCC warrants further study in larger, more diverse samples.

Chronic stress can be important in the pathology of chronic disease. Hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) are proposed to reflect long term cortisol secretion from exposure to stress. To date, inconsistencies in the relationship between HCC and self-reported stress have been attributed to variation and limitations of perceived stress measurement. We report data from employees of two large public sector worksites (n=132). Socio-demographic, health, lifestyle, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and work-related Effort Reward Imbalance (ERI) were collected at baseline. Participants were asked to respond to mobile text messages every two days, asking them to report current stress levels (Ecological Momentary Assessment, EMA), and mean stress was determined overall, during work hours, and out of work hours. At 12 weeks, the Appraisal of Stressful Life Events Scale (ALES) was completed and 3cm scalp hair samples were taken, from which HCC was determined (to reflect cortisol secretion over the past 12 weeks). Mean response rate to EMA was 81.9±14.9%. Associations between HCC and the various self-reported stress measures (adjusted for use of hair dye) were weak (all <.3). We observed significant associations with HCC for EMA measured stress responses received out of work hours (ρ=.196, p=.013) and ALES Loss subscale (ρ=.241, p=.003), and two individual items from ERI (relating to future work situation). In regression analysis adjusting for other possible confounders, only the HCC-ALES Loss association remained significant (p=.011). Overall, our study confirms that EMA provides a useful measurement tool that can gather perceived stress measures in real-time. But, there was no relationship between self-reported stress collected in this way, and HCC. The modest association between HCC and stress appraisal does however, provide some evidence for the role of cognitive processes in chronic stress.

Previous research demonstrates that sports coaching is a stressful activity. This article investigates coaches' challenge and threat cognitive appraisals of stressful situations and their impact on coaching behaviour, using Blascovich and Mendes' (2000) biopsychosocial model as a theoretical framework. A cross-sectional correlational design was utilised to examine the relationships between irrational beliefs (Shortened general attitude and belief scale), challenge and threat appraisals (Appraisal of life events scale), and coaching behaviours (Leadership scale for sports) of 105 professional football academy coaches. Findings reveal significant positive associations between challenge appraisals and social support, and between threat appraisals and autocratic behaviour, and a significant negative association between threat appraisals and positive feedback. Results also show that higher irrational beliefs are associated with greater threat, and lesser challenge cognitive appraisals. However, no associations were revealed between irrational beliefs and challenge cognitive appraisals. Additionally, findings demonstrate a positive relationship between age and training and instruction. Results suggest that practitioners should help coaches to appraise stressful situations as a challenge to promote positive coaching behaviours.

The psychological wellbeing of athletes, in particular the concept of psychological distress, is receiving growing research attention. Irrational beliefs as proposed in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) have been shown to be positively related to the psychological distress of athletes, but the mechanisms by which irrational beliefs predict psychological distress remain unclear. The role of maladaptive schema, as proposed in Schema Therapy (ST), in the relationship between irrational beliefs and psychological distress has not yet been studied, despite the conceptual similarities between REBT and ST. Design and methodParticipants were self-selected triathletes (n = 124), duathletes (n = 9), swimmers (n = 7), cyclists (n = 17) and runners (n = 57). A single timepoint cross-sectional study design was used to investigate simple mediation models using the PROCESS macro. ResultsResults revealed that maladaptive schema fully mediated the positive relationship between irrational beliefs and symptoms of anxiety, and depression. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that maladaptive schema is a potential mechanism through which irrational beliefs predict psychological distress. Results may help practitioners begin to understand how REBT and ST may be applied in tandem for the benefit of greater athlete psychological wellbeing.

There are few studies examining coaches’ awareness of their role in developing performance under pressure. This study has explored the application of implicit and explicit learning theory for skill execution under pressure through the understanding of coaches. Seven curling coaches who teach adult novices were interviewed using a semistructured approach. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore their experiences and beliefs around skill acquisition and pressure. Key factors that emerged from the analysis were the coaches’ lack of awareness of their role in developing skill execution under pressure and the importance of coach education in creating that awareness. The recognition of the pressure that players will face in games and the potential for implicit techniques to be employed by the coaches demonstrated positive prospects for the application of implicit/explicit skill acquisition theory. The coaches’ experiences highlighted aspects unique to curling that will need to be considered in progressing the study’s findings. The distinction between skill setup and execution was also raised by coaches and requires further study to identify whether it impacts the effectiveness of building robust skills and the resulting coaching advice. The study provides recommendations for application of the theory and suggestions for future research.