Background/Objective This study examined the role of different psychological coping mechanisms in mental and physical health during the initial phases of the COVID-19 crisis with an emphasis on meaning-centered coping. Method A total of 11,227 people from 30 countries across all continents participated in the study and completed measures of psychological distress (depression, stress, and anxiety), loneliness, well-being, and physical health, together with measures of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping, and a measure called the Meaning-centered Coping Scale (MCCS) that was developed in the present study. Validation analyses of the MCCS were performed in all countries, and data were assessed by multilevel modeling (MLM). Results The MCCS showed a robust one-factor structure in 30 countries with good test-retest, concurrent and divergent validity results. MLM analyses showed mixed results regarding emotion and problem-focused coping strategies. However, the MCCS was the strongest positive predictor of physical and mental health among all coping strategies, independently of demographic characteristics and country-level variables. Conclusions The findings suggest that the MCCS is a valid measure to assess meaning-centered coping. The results also call for policies promoting effective coping to mitigate collective suffering during the pandemic.

An intensive training program for behavioral health professionals increased tobacco treatment and patient quit attempts. Strategies beyond training may be needed to enhance prescribing by these practitioners.

The global COVID-19 pandemic crisis has caused an unprecedented impact on most areas of people’s lives. Thus, framed within the scope of Existential Positive Psychology (PP2.0), this study aimed at assessing the psychological distress of adults living in Portugal during the first national lockdown, how they are coping with stress, as well to contribute to a deeper understanding about the role that positivity, experiential avoidance, and coping strategies have in psychological distress and well-being. For this purpose, 586 Portuguese adults (73% females) ranging between 18 and 78 years old (M = 38.96, SD = 12.20) completed an online survey during the initial phase of the pandemic crisis in Portugal. Findings suggest that experiential avoidance was the strongest predictor of a negative response (depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, and negative emotions), whereas positivity was a better predictor of psychological well-being and lower levels of depression. Additionally, self-blame, behavioral disengagement, and emotional venting were strong risk factors for psychological distress, whereas positive reframing, planning, and acceptance were associated with more positive outcomes. These findings highlight the critical role of experiential avoidance on individuals’ psychological distress and the essential contribution of positive life orientation in promoting flourishing. By offering a better understanding of the complex navigation through the dialectics between positive and negative life features, this study provides important and useful cues for psychological interventions directed at promoting a more positive and adaptive human functioning even through such potential adverse and painful life events.

RESUMOEste estudo teve como objectivo apresentar uma síntese da literatura em torno da excelência, centrando-se no contexto desportivo. Deste modo, procurou-se apresentar as principais abordagens ao estudo da excelência e explorar os factores importantes no seu desenvolvimento e manutenção, considerando um conjunto de dimensões de carácter social e contextual e outras de carácter pessoal. Entre estas últimas, colocou-se especial ênfase nas características e competências psicológicas, de natureza motivacional, afectiva e emocional, numa tentativa de desenhar a "arquitectura" psicológica dos atletas de elite. A caracterização destes atletas, na base da literatura, inclui alguns factores e estratégias consensuais, nomeadamente, os elevados níveis de motivação, comprometimento, concentração e auto-confiança, assim como o recurso a estratégias adaptativas de coping, autoregulação, formulação de objectivos e visualização mental. Ainda que estes resultados demonstrem alguma congruência ao nível da investigação nesta área, ficam por "resolver" as questões relativas ao peso ou importância que cada um destes factores assume ou de que forma é que se combinam para "produzir" desempenhos excelentes. Palavras-chave: excelência, desporto, alto rendimento, atletas de elite, arquitectura psicológica ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to provide a brief overview of the literature around the field of excellence, focused on the sport's context. Thus, the main approaches to the study of excellence were presented and then some important factors in its development and maintenance were sought considering a set of social and personal dimensions. Among the latter, the focus of attention was on the athlete's psychological, motivational, affective, and emotional characteristics and skills, in an attempt to design the elite athletes' psychological "architecture". The characterization of these athletes included a number of consensual factors and strategies, such as high levels of motivation, commitment, concentration, and self-confidence, as well as the use of adaptive coping strategies, selfregulation, goal-setting and mental imagery. Although these results show some consistency in terms of research, it is still unsolved the issue of the weight and importance of each one of these factors and how such factors are combined in order to "produce" excellent performances.

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Portuguese versions of the Sport Anxiety Scale and of the Brief COPE, as well as of the Cognitive Appraisal Scale in Sport Competition– Threat Perception, namely regarding their factor structure validity and internal consistency. Participants were 550 male and female athletes of several sports, aged 15 to 35 years old (M=19.8; SD=4.5). Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated that the instruments demonstrated good psychometric properties. In general, the measurement models provided a good fit to the empirical data and with the exception of some scales of the Brief COPE, the calculated Cronbach's a coefficient of reliability indicated adequate internal consistency for the three instruments. Overall, the results of the present study provided evidence for these instruments' validity and reliability, ultimately supporting their importance for research and psychological intervention in sport contexts.

C OVID-19 has had a devastating impact on people worldwide. We conducted an international survey (n = 3646) examining the degree to which people's appraisals and coping activities around the pandemic predicted their health and well-being. We obtained subsamples from 12 countries-Bangladesh,

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do Minho RESUMO A influência dos factores e processos psicológicos no rendimento desportivo dos atletas está, de uma forma geral, amplamente demonstrada. No entanto, poucas investigações recorreram a uma metodologia qualitativa, a qual permite uma perspectiva mais detalhada e aprofundada das emoções e cognições dos atletas. Neste sentido, recorrendo a uma entrevista semi-estruturada, a presente investigação procurou, junto de 11 atletas portugueses de elite de vários desportos, com idades compreendidas entre os 22 e os 36 anos (M=30.64±4.84), identificar as suas principais fontes de stress e ansiedade e as estratégias de coping a que recorriam em situações stressantes e/ou problemáticas, bem como explorar o papel de outras emoções no seu desempenho desportivo. Os resultados revelaram que: i) as principais fontes de stress estavam relacionadas com aspectos ligados à natureza da competição, pressões externas e ao seu próprio desempenho, sendo comuns a diferentes modalidades; ii) os atletas recorriam a diversas estratégias de coping em simultâneo, geralmente adaptativas, centradas na resolução de problemas e/ou na gestão das emoções; e iii) para além da ansiedade, outras emoções, positivas e negativas, pareciam influenciar o desempenho dos atletas.