Effects of a cognitive-behavioral intervention on field hockey players’ appraisals of organizational stressors

Abstract

Objectives: We assessed the effects of a cognitive-behavioral intervention on English field hockey players' appraisals of organizational stressors, emotions, and performance satisfaction. Design: A concurrent, across-participants, multiple-baseline, single-case research design with a three months post-intervention follow-up. Method: Four high-level female field hockey players participated in a four phase intervention that lasted between 24 and 26 weeks: rapport-building and observation (phase I), baseline monitoring (phase II), educating the players and facilitating acquisition of a cognitive restructuring technique (phase III), and encouraging integration of the technique during sport performance (phase IV). Questionnaires and social validation were used to record the participants' appraisals, emotions, and performance satisfaction throughout the intervention. A three months post-intervention follow-up was conducted to assess the participants' retention of the intervention effects. Results: Reduced threat and loss appraisals and elevated challenge appraisals were reported immediately after Phase III had been introduced. Pleasant emotions and performance satisfaction increased while unpleasant emotions decreased throughout the intervention. Social validation immediately post-intervention and at the end of the follow-up period indicated sustained adaptive changes in each of the outcome variables. Conclusions: Cognitive restructuring represents a promising technique for optimizing highlevel hockey players' appraisals. Challenge appraisals and pleasant emotions appear to be linked with increased performance satisfaction and positive intervention effects can be retained for a period of three months post-intervention. Researchers should examine the effectiveness and efficacy of the cognitive restructuring technique with other populations to develop a robust evidence base for appraisal optimization in sport.

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

“…Other researchers assessed performance using cricket batting performance (Turner et al, 2013) or soccer match performance (Dixon et al, 2019). Some studies used speech tasks to assess challenge and threat states (Allen et al, 2012;Meijen et al, 2014) in a sport sample, whereas other studies employed reflective diaries to ask athletes about their challenge and threat experiences (e.g., Nicholls et al, 2012) or interviews and observations (Massey et al, 2013;Didymus and Fletcher, 2017).…”

Organizational stressors, social support, and implications for subjective performance in high-level sport

“…As well as implementing various ways to address the organizational stressors encountered (Arnold & Fletcher, 2012b;Didymus & Fletcher, 2017a;Randall, Nielsen, & Houdmont, 2018;Rumbold, Fletcher, & Daniels, 2012, 2018, interventions focused around the social support that is provided are also advised. First, it is suggested that the support being provided is effective and efficient for the athlete and is carefully matched to them (Marigold, Cavallo, Holmes, & Wood, 2014).…”

A Commentary and Reflections on the Field of Organizational Sport Psychology

“…To offer a word on the state of stress-based interventions in sport organizations. Randall et al observe that the majority of extant intervention research reflects secondary stress management interventions, focused on the development of psychological resources (see Didymus & Fletcher, 2017;Rumbold, Fletcher, & Daniels, 2012). As research indicates that organizational stressors are prevalent and pervasive (Arnold, Wagstaff, Steadman, & Pratt, 2017), and commonly appraised as threatening or harmful and largely uncontrollable (see Hanton et al, 2012), it might be that some organizational stressors in sport are not readily amenable to primary intervention; that some organizational stressors might be unavoidable (cf.…”