Competition at elite level can require athletes to perform optimally in extreme environmental conditions. The present review focuses on mood responses in such conditions and proposes practical guidelines for those working with athletes. Different environments are considered, including altitude and extreme heat and cold.Performing in extreme heat, cold or at altitude can produce a stress response characterised by increased negative mood and relatively poor performance. Positive adaptations to extreme conditions can be accelerated but the rate of adaptation appears to be highly individualised. Monitoring mood responses to training under normal conditions provides a basis for identifying the psychological effects of extreme conditions. It is suggested that practitioners carefully monitor the interplay between vigour, fatigue, and depressed mood. Reductions in vigour and increases in fatigue are normal responses to hard training but other aspects of mood disturbance, especially symptoms of depressed mood, however small, may be indicative of a maladaptive response, and practitioners should consider intervening when such symptoms first appear.

The present study compared mood assessments using two different response time frames. A sample of 136 school children completed the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) daily for 5 days using the response time frame, ''How are you feeling right now?'' On Day 5, participants completed an additional BRUMS, using the response time frame, ''How have you felt over the past week including today?''. ''Past week'' mood assessments yielded higher scores than multiple ''right now'' assessments, and were particularly associated with ambient mood for confusion, depression, and vigour. Researchers should give due consideration to the influence of response time frame on mood assessments.

The current study tested Lane and Terry's (2000) proposal that depressed mood moderates anger?performance and tension?performance relationships. One hundred and thirty?six male sport students completed the 24?item Brunel Mood Scale followed by a concentration grid test. Participants were dichotomized into depressed mood (n = 59) and no depression (n = 77) groups. Structural equation modeling showed that mood predicted 41% of performance variance in the no?depression group and 31% in the depressed?mood group. As hypothesized, anger was associated with good performance in the no?depression group and poor performance in the depressed?mood group, supporting the notion that depressed mood moderates the anger?performance relationship. Contrary to expectations, tension scores showed no significant relationship with performance in either group. Future research should continue to investigate the mechanisms underlying mood?performance relationships

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