Florida and the Environment: From La Florida to Global Warming

Stephen Hawking\u27s book, A Brief History in Time begins with a short passage about a well-known scientist giving a public lecture on astronomy and the meaning of the universe... He described how the earth &ts around the sun and how the sun, in turn, around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady in the back of the room got up and said. What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise. The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, What is the tortoise standing on? You\u27re very clever, young man, very clever said the old lady. But it\u27s turtles all the way down! 1 Hawking goes on to say Most people would find the picture of our universe as an infinite tower of tortoises rather ridiculous, but why do we think we know better? 2 Hawking presented this story to provide a perspective about scientific ideas, empirical data, history, and the search to understand the origin and ultimate fate of our universe. How does this story relate to the theme of the 2008 Florida Historical Society Annual Meeting and the Jillian Prescott Memorial Lecture (Florida and the Environment: From La Florida to Global Warming)? Knowledge about the history of our planet is essential to understand the complex geological, chemical, physical and biological systems that sustain life on Earth. An understanding of both history and science, with an appreciation for the complexity of spatial and temporal scale, is a fundamental first step to prepare society for the scientific and human implications of global climate change

Work-Based Social Interactions, Perceived Stress, and Workload Incongruence as Antecedents of Athletic Trainer Burnout

Burnout is an important psychological health concern for working professionals. Understanding how psychological stress and markers of workload contribute to athletic trainers' (ATs') perceptions of burnout is highly valuable. Both positive (social support) and negative social interactions should be considered when examining relationships among markers of ATs' health and wellbeing

Psychological Experiences During Previous High School Sport Participation Predict College Students’ Current Psychological Health

Adolescent sport participation has been positively associated with psychological health outcomes. Yet, further research is needed to explore how psychosocial health benefits from sport may be maximized or minimized based on one’s psychological experiences during previous sport participation. The present study examined associations among retrospective psychological experiences of high school sport participation and markers of current college students’ psychosocial health. American college students (N = 300) self-reported retrospective high school sport experiences (i.e., burnout, engagement, and stress) and current psychosocial health outcomes (i.e., social support, depressive symptoms, life satisfaction) via an online interface. Moderated multiple regression analyses showed high school sport burnout, stress, and engagement to predict significant variance in college social support (p \u3c .05), anxiety (p \u3c .01), depressive symptoms (p \u3c .01), and life satisfaction (p \u3c .01). Results provide evidence that retrospective accounts of high school sport participation experiences (i.e., low burnout, low stress, and positive engagement) were associated with more adaptive post-high school psychosocial outcomes in college. This information may guide future prospective studies and aid practitioners by proving a broader understanding of psychosocial outcomes of sport participation

Depression, anxiety and stress among female student-athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To identify, quantify and analyse determinants of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among female student-athletes. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: Five online databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsychInfo, SportDiscus and Web of Science) searched from inception through 14 September 2023. Hand-searches and contacting authors for eligible studies. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Articles were included if they were published in English, included female student-athletes competing at National Collegiate Athletic Association institutions, and measured symptom-level depression, anxiety and/or stress. RESULTS AND SUMMARY: We screened 2415 articles; 52 studies (N=13 849) were included in the systematic review with 13 studies qualifying for meta-analysis. Seventeen determinants were identified including injury (eg, concussions), health (eg, sleep hygiene) and social factors (eg, social support). As data specific to female student-athletes was delineated from studies that included other populations, we observed 16 studies (30.7%) reported that identifying as female was a meaningful determinant of depression, anxiety and stress in athletes. Results of the meta-analysis (k=13, N=5004) suggested a small but significant association (r=0.15, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.24, p=0.004) between other determinants and depression, anxiety, and stress among female student-athletes. CONCLUSION: Coaches, trainers and clinicians are key contributors in supporting female student-athlete mental health, with responsibilities for integrating mental skill training, sleep hygiene education and regular assessments. Comprehensive mental health and tailored education programmes considering determinants such as injury, health and social factors specific to female student-athletes are needed to enhance mental health equity in sport. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022362163

Health and Well-Being Measures of Collegiate Athlete and Non-Athlete Graduates

American collegiate sport participation has been linked with psychosocial and career-related benefits as well as with mental and physical health risks, with extant research on this topic revealing mixed results. The study purpose was, informed by the Health through Sport Conceptual Model, to describe and compare associations among health related quality of life and psychosocial measures of former U.S. collegiate athletes and non-athletes from four university graduation cohorts. Results suggest on aggregate former collegiate athletes report more positive measures than their non-athlete peers. Study findings were, in some instances, mitigated/reversed when participants endorsed concussion, career ending injury or revenue sport participation histories or were female. Though limited by a cross-sectional design and a potential health worker effect, results provide some support for protective associations of collegiate athletics participation. This study also provides a theoretical bridge from intercollegiate athletics participation to broader sport promotion literatures

A Time for Clinical Transformation: Emerging Implications From COVID-19 for Athlete Transition Research and Clinical Practice

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in changes to the structure of sport and the experiences of athletes. In this commentary, we consider how these changes, including schedule disruptions and the early termination of careers, have contributed to a reconsideration of how athlete transition should be defined, examined, and intervened upon. We outline our rationale for this proposed reconfiguration, including implications for researchers and practitioners working with athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. For researchers, we recommend updating the transition definition, reconsidering the measurement of salient transition-related variables, and utilizing study designs/methods that best facilitate this work. For practitioners, we recommend considering the dynamic nature of transition within holistic athlete care, building momentum on mental health destigmatization achieved during the pandemic, athlete transition education, and clinician advocacy for transition-related resources for athletes. Ultimately, we hope this work will spark continued innovations in athlete transition research and practice moving forward

A Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes: a revised conceptualization

The Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes (TCTSA) provides a psychophysiological framework for how athletes anticipate motivated performance situations. The purpose of this review is to discuss how research has addressed the 15 predictions made by the TCTSA, to evaluate the mechanisms underpinning the TCTSA in light of the research that has emerged in the last ten years, and to inform a revised TCTSA (TCTSA-R). There was support for many of the 15 predictions in the TCTSA, with two main areas for reflection identified; to understand the physiology of challenge and to re-evaluate the concept of resource appraisals. This re-evaluation informs the TCTSA-R which elucidates the physiological changes, predispositions, and cognitive appraisals that mark challenge and threat states. First, the relative strength of the sympathetic nervous system response is outlined as a determinant of challenge and threat patterns of reactivity and we suggest that oxytocin and neuropeptide Y are also key indicators of an adaptive approach to motivated performance situations and can facilitate a challenge state. Second, although predispositions were acknowledged within the TCTSA, how these may influence challenge and threat states was not specified. In the TCTSA-R it is proposed that one’s propensity to appraise stressors as a challenge that most strongly dictates acute cognitive appraisals. Third, in the TCTSA-R a more parsimonious integration of Lazarusian ideas of cognitive appraisal and challenge and threat is proposed. Given that an athlete can make both challenge and threat primary appraisals and can have both high or low resources compared to perceived demands, a 2x2 bifurcation theory of challenge and threat is proposed. This reflects polychotomy of four parts; high challenge, low challenge, low threat, and high threat. For example, in low threat, an athlete can evince a threat state but still perform well so long as they perceive high resources. Consequently, we propose suggestions for research concerning measurement tools and a reconsideration of resources to include social support. Finally, applied recommendations are made based on adjusting demands and enhancing resources.N/