fahimeh keavanloo

Fear of re-injury is a common psychological challenge in athletes that can negatively impact the rehabilitation process and return to sport.

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and related factors of fear of re-injury among elite Iranian male and female handball players.

In 2023, a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted involving elite handball players from Iran's Premier League and Divisions One and Two. Participants were distributed an online questionnaire, including the Re-injury Anxiety Inventory (RIAI) and a Sports Injury History Questionnaire. Two hundred twenty players (164 men and 56 women) completed the survey. Data on injury type, location, and timing were also collected. Statistical analysis was performed using independent ttests with SPSS22 software.

Most handball players had a history of serious sports injuries, with higher rates in women (98.21%) than men (93.90%). Non-contact injuries were more common in men (60.36%), while contact injuries were slightly more common in women (51.78%). Injuries occurred more frequently during training in women (53.57%) and competition in men (49.39%). Men had a significantly higher fear of re-injury than women (P = 0.002), and this fear was greater in athletes with a history of injury (P = 0.014).

Fear of re-injury is prevalent among elite handball players, especially men and those with prior injuries. Injury patterns differ between men and women, and protective equipment prevents injuries. These insights can aid in creating intervention programs to reduce re-injury fears and enhance return-to-sport outcomes in handball players.

This research aims to investigate the relationship between the height of the internal longitudinal arch of the foot and the static and dynamic balance of 7 -10-year-old boy gymnasts. This study was descriptive-correlational, and its statistical population included male gymnast students aged 7 to 10 in the city of Gouchan. These gymnasts were screened for flat feet using the Brady test. Ninety gymnasts were purposefully selected based on the Brody test to assess the arch of the foot and were divided into three groups: pronation (n=30), supination (n=30), and normal (n=30). The Flamingo test assessed static balance, and the Y Balance test assessed dynamic balance. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normality of data distribution, and a one-way analysis of variance was employed to compare the results obtained among the groups. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 21). The results showed a significant difference between static and dynamic balance in male gymnasts with pronation, supination, and natural foot conditions (P=0.001 and P=0.013, respectively). The results demonstrated no significant difference in static balance between gymnastic boys with pronation and suspension (P=0.930); however, there was a significant difference in static balance between gymnastic boys with suspension and those with a natural state (P=0.0001) and between gymnastic boys with pronation and those with a natural state of the foot (P=0.001). Based on the results, gymnastic boys with different arch heights (pronated, supinated, natural) showed static and dynamic balance variations. Boys with pronated or supinated feet had poorer static and dynamic balance than those with natural arches. Based on these results, coaches and corrective movement specialists can help boy gymnasts with different arch heights to optimize their balance performance and reduce the risk of injury. Level of evidence: II

Because of competitive and stressful nature of sports, competitive anxiety occurs that leads to emotional and fleeting reactions that assess the threat of some situations and therefore influences on the athlete's performance negatively. Early studies of anxiety assumed that anxiety was one-dimensional, but researchers in multidimensional theory of anxiety have recently proposed a set of two-dimensional connections between cognitive anxiety, physical anxiety, self- confidence and performance. Cognitive anxiety is a psychological component of anxiety and is recognized by negative expectations and cognitive concerns about oneself, situations and possible consequences, while physical anxiety is a physiological and emotional component of the anxiety and is associated with arousal of the autonomic nervous system. In addition, sports self-confidence is defined as the degree of confidence of individuals about their abilities and the challenges they face in order to succeed in sports. Many researchers have considered the study of competitive anxiety in the field of sports psychology due to its direct and threatening effects on the sports performance and success.In the past years, the science of sports psychology has used cognitive-behavioral methods to improve athletes' competitive performances. Recently, psychologists have stated that avoiding and suppression of negative thoughts has increased unwanted cognitive activity and therefore impaired their optimal execution.In this regard, the mindfulness approach has recently been used as an alternative strategy for practicing traditional mental skills.This approach is clearly different from the traditional practice approaches of mental skills, both in terms of theoretical assumptions and also intervention strategies. Although in many studies, the effectiveness of mindfulness trainings has been shown on many variables including exercise performance, flow, worry, thoughts unrelated to the tasks and physiological factors, but the results of the studies are contradictory.According to the current weakness of existing interventions and the inconsistencies associated with the role of traditional mental skills training and also the role of new interventions on the levels of competitive anxiety and self-confidence in the professional athletes, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of six weeks of mindfulness-based cognitive intervention on the competitive anxiety levels and self-confidence of adolescent shooting athletes.

The present study is a quasi-experimental using a pretest and posttest design with a control group. The statistical population of this study who were voluntarily invited to take part in the study included all male shooters (guns and pistols) in Yazd province. All athletes had at least two years of regular shooting activity and experience in provincial and national competitions. After selecting the eligible individuals based on the questionnaire and explaining the purpose of the present study, 16 subjects were randomly divided into two groups, mindfulness intervention group and the control group. The subjects in the experimental group took part in six specified training sessions during six weeks (one session of 75-90 minutes per week).The Competitive Sports Anxiety Inventory-2 (Martens et al, 1990) was used to evaluate the research variables. The physical anxiety, cognitive anxiety and self-confidence subscales with Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.85, 0.75 and 0.83, respectively, show the high reliability of mentioned questionnaire. In this study, Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determine the normality of the data. Also independent t-test was used to compare self-confidence, physical and cognitive anxiety in the control and experimental groups. In all tests, the confidence level was considered 0.05.

First, the assumption of normality of measured variables was checked using the Shapiro-Wilk test. The results of the test showed that the distribution of data in the study groups is normal (P≤0.05). Also, the comparison of pre-test scores between two groups did not show a significant difference (P≤0.05), which indicated that the groups were homogeneous. To evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, the data of CSAI-2 questionnaire of two groups, in the post-test, were compared using independent t-test. The results showed that there was a significant difference between two groups in the variables of cognitive anxiety and self-confidence (P≤0.05). However, there was no significant difference between two groups in the physical anxiety variable (P≥0.05).

The results showed that there is a significant difference between two groups in the variables of cognitive anxiety and self-confidence. Due to an increase in the negative emotions caused by anxiety and stress in the sports situations, these factors can increase the negative interpretations in athletes. Based on the assumption that unwanted thoughts are the core of anxiety and excitement, mindfulness actually makes the person less focused on repetitive thought patterns. Therefore, athletes can control their anxiety. The findings of the present study on the positive effectiveness of mindfulness approach on the reducing cognitive anxiety in athletes are in line with the findings of previous studies that showed that mindfulness reduces anxiety symptoms, pessimism and negative thoughts before competition. The finding showed that physical anxiety did not differ significantly before and after the intervention. There is a possibility that subjects couldn’t reflect emotions through a questionnaire. Also, in explaining on the distinction between the reducing physical and cognitive anxiety, (Martens, 1990) has demonstrated that physical and cognitive anxiety are affected in different ways. Cognitive anxiety has a direct and negative relationship with performance and should be minimal, while physical anxiety has an inverted U-shape relationship with performance and should be moderate. The posttest results showed a significant difference of self-confidence between two groups. Self-confidence means the ability to promote positive thoughts and self-efficacy in competition. As regards cognitive anxiety has decreased, therefore self-confidence has increased. In general, the differences between the present study and others may be due to the nature of their intervention, the location, duration and the type of programs, and so on. Since the research sample was limited to young male shooters, so the generalization of the results of this study should be followed with caution. According to the innovation and importance of this topic, the researchers should evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions on the competitive anxiety levels and Self-confidence of athletes in the other sports as well.

Sports injuries among physical education students are prevalent and various factors, including management factors, affect them.

In this cross-sectional study, by using the systematic design of the data based theory required information was collected from 12 physical education teachers through targeted interviews. The interviews were then coded and a theoretical model of the research were developed. Finally, in order to evaluate the accuracy of theoretical model a questionnaire was designed and completed by 330 physical education students and the effect coefficients of different parts of the model were investigated by modeling structural equations in PLS software environment.

The results of the analysis of qualitative data obtained from the interview led to the presentation of the model of prevention of sports injuries of physical education students based on managerial factors with 13 categories and 38 concepts in the form of 6 dimensions including causal factors, the main phenomenon, strategy, background characteristics, intervening conditions and outcomes. General test of structural equation modeling was performed using the Goodness of Fit Test and was confirmed(GOF = 0.74). The statistical value of T for the effect of each ofcausal factors, background characteristics, intervening conditions was higher than (1.96), so their effect was confirmed.

Thus, by modifying the approach of student admission, educational programming and securing places along with teaching and informing, we will be able to significantly reduce the incidence of sports injuries in physical education students.

In spite of benefiting from technology, the modern mankind is suffering from miscellaneous problems and anxieties which not only threaten their mental health and peace, but also affect their physical health to drop the level of physical immunity and delay in healing. The World Health Organization defines mental health as patterns, methods and strategies which provide a stress-free, relaxed life with no mental preoccupations. In other words, mental health guaranties a desirable physical, mental and social state in harmony with other people.  Thus far, a great deal of research has been carried out on the relation between mental health and physical activity, job satisfaction, fasting etc.  Much research has already been carried out on the relation between devotion to religion and mental health. The bulk of such research indicate positive effects of religiousness on mental health (8-23). Mousavi and Hasani studied the relation between religiousness and mental health in university students, and concluded that there was a direct positive relation between them. They concluded that devotion of students to religion tends to decrease the probability of mental disorders and contributes to their social support, mental health and a rise in the physical immunity system through developing healthy behavioral patterns, increasing positive affections and optimism. Strengthening students’ religious beliefs and attitudes will add to their health. As previously mentioned, plenty of research has been carried out on the relation between religion and mental health; however, because of the contradiction prevalent in their conclusions, the present study seeks to investigate the effects of religiousness on university students’ mental health in a systematic and meta-analytical manner to come up with a sound understanding of the effects of religion on mental health as in previous pieces of research.

The present research is of a systematic review and meta_analysis. Articles in Persian language were retrieved from the websites of the Irandoc, SID, noormags, civilica, elmnet. Papers were searched without time limitations until December 2020 through Persian equivalents for “religiousness”, “religion” and “mental health” as key terms. Entry criteria included researches based on relation evaluation and subjects of study were university students. Upon searching the above-mentioned websites, all the selected papers were applied to Endnote Software to detect and eliminate identical ones.  After eliminating identical papers, all titles and abstracts were reviewed to detect those relevant with the research. Through a number of stages, the present study determined the exact research question, collected, analyzed and interpreted the data based on PRISMA (36). The findings concerned with the role of religiousness on university student's mental health were extracted. The correlation coefficient and sample size were used for statistical calculations.

Searching the keywords in different sites led to 203 relevant papers. Then identical papers (60 cases) were eliminated leaving 143 papers for reviewing titles and abstracts. Sieving led to seeing into 43 papers in more detail. The whole criteria of import and export observed, 27 papers were thoroughly investigated. 11 papers were eliminated because of failing in providing the required information, leaving 16 papers for final investigation. Availability of 16 studies with fine quantitative data on the relation between university students’ religiousness and mental health made a meta-analysis test possible (8-23). The meta-analysis test reveals a meaningful relation between students’ religiousness and mental health with a confidence interval of 95% by the random effects model. Because the confidence interval EF= 0.035, CI: 95%(0.003 to 0.67) does not include zero (I2 =% 90.50, P=0.000). Begg’s Funnel plot was used to measure the bias of publishing articles. Funnel plot studies the bias of meta-analysis publication of the relation between university students’ religiousness and mental health. Regarding funnel plot and Z grade and the level of meaningfulness resulting from Begg’s Test (P= 0.669, Z=-0.427), no directionality was found concerning publication of articles on the relation between student's religiousness and mental health. Moreover, the points on the chart look symmetric, and no visual directionally was detected.

Religiousness is an important psychological structure related to the mental health of human beings and can be of assistance to those in charge of health planning. Strengthening the various dimensions of religiousness in university students contributes to the promotion of their mental health. However, the planning which would apply the findings of the present study with a view to the relation between different elements of religiousness and mental health could yield more favorable results.

The prevalence of sports injuries among physical education students is very high and significant. Although sports injuries are inevitable, it is not something we can't do anything to manage injuries. Various factors, including factors that are rooted in management issues, affect the vulnerability of physical education students, in order to make the necessary decisions to prevent the occurrence of sports injuries, the researcher in the present study identified managerial factors and presented a paradigmatic model for the prevention of sports injuries in physical education students.

This is a cross-sectional study using a database systematic design. The research sample consisted of 12 professors (5 trainees and 7 masters of management) who were selected from all professors of pathology and sport management in the country based on the logic of sampling phenomenological research in a purposeful and saturated manner. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The data collected during the interview process were analyzed by an open, axial, and selective coding process.

The results of the qualitative data analysis of the interviews lead to the presentation of a model of prevention of sports injuries in physical education students based on managerial factors with 13 categories and 38 concepts in 6 dimensions including causal (3 categories), main phenomenon (prevention). Of the physical trauma of physical education students were: strategy (5 categories), contextual characteristics (1 category), confounding conditions (1 category), and outcome (3 categories).

Based on the paradigm model, it can be concluded that by modifying the approach in student admission, educational planning and securing places along with education and awareness, teachers, and students will be able to significantly reduce the incidence of sports injury in physical education students. Therefore, it is necessary to design model-based policies of the Ministry of Science in the physical education sector of universities to reduce the vulnerability of physical education students

Generally, fostering an active lifestyle and participation in sports activities are recommended, i.e., because of their impact on individuals’ health. However, participating in sports also presents the participant with risks and injuries. In other words, injury during physical activity is an inseparable problem in sports, and if acute, could cause an inability to move (or rarely, permanent organ failure). Moreover, it is associated with threatened biopsychological health status, decreased quality of life, increased medical costs, the fear of injury, decreased motivation, and absence from work and activity for the athletes. Research has suggested that sports injuries are more prevalent in physical education students than in other athletes. Any injury prevention planning firstly requires the identification of causes and factors of injury; thus, this study investigated the causes of physical injury in physical education students from the viewpoint of physical education professors.

This study followed the framework of the qualitative approach and the phenomenological method. Semi–structured interviews were used to collect the required data. The study population consisted of all professors of Pathology and Sports Management at universities with experience of teaching practical courses to physical education students. The study sample consisted of 12 professors who were selected based on the logic of the phenomenological research sampling approach in a purposive and saturated manner. Interviews with the professors were conducted in one month. In addition, we attempted to increase the validity of the findings using methods such as dedicating adequate time to data collection, consulting with two individuals familiar with the phenomenological research, and examining the negative and contradictory cases or the alternate descriptions. Subsequently, to validate the subsidiary and principal components, interviewerschr('39') perceptions were validated during the interviews to reflect the depth of meaning expressed by the participants. The data collected during the interview process were recorded and coded using MAXQDA 12 software. Besides, the obtained data were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding process as well as in terms of content and theoretical basis.

Nineteen categories were extracted from the data provided by the interviewees involved in causing sports injuries in physical education students. These subcategories fell into 5 general categories, as follows: individual problems due to inadequate student admission process (low fitness level, musculoskeletal problems, the lack of motivation & interest), safety problems due to lack of control over the environmental factors (unsafe places, poor & inadequate educational tools, educational environment inappropriate with curriculum content), inappropriate physical education regulations and structures (inappropriate educational goals & approaches, inappropriate educational content, inadequate educational rules, inadequate classroom rules, inappropriate curriculum, inappropriate evaluation in case of content & training), the lack of knowledge and expertise (the lack of knowledge of traumatic factors & preventive methods from professors, their lack of expertise in the discipline, their deficiencies in the principles of performing exercises, unawareness of traumatic & preventive factors by students), and economic problems (using inadequate low quality tools & equipment, failure to complete injury treatment due to financial problems, & imbalanced nutrition).

The present study results revealed that various factors are involved in the vulnerability of physical education students. Such characteristics include individual problems, inadequate educational facilities, inadequate curriculum planning, inadequate content of practical units and inappropriate targeting in teaching and testing, poor knowledge and expertise of faculty and students regarding injury and prevention and, financial problems that reinforce such vulnerabilities. Furthermore, most of the related problems could be prevented through management strategies as well as modifying university admissions procedures, securing sports facilities and equipment, curriculum content and scheduling amendment, holding remedial courses in managing traumatic factors and to prevent and create financial support for students; these factors could reduce the odds of injuries in this population.

Spinal column abnormalities can highly restrict motor movement in students with dyspraxia. The present study investigated the effect of regular corrective exercises on the spinal column of students with dyspraxia. The present study is a quasi-experimental research. For the purposes of the study, spinal column abnormalities of a total of 150 girls and 220 boys were analyzed. The subjects then went through a 12-week period of corrective exercises. The students'' spinal column abnormalities were re-examined to determine the effects of the exercise. The study employed SPSS-16 to analyze the data. Also, for the purposes of the study, statistical-descriptive methods, samples t-test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used to further analyze the data in detail. The results of the study indicated that students with dyspraxia constituted 6.16 % of the total sample. That is to say, dyspraxic girls and boys made up 5% and 7.3% of the sample, respectively. Moreover, 60% of the boys and 63.3% of the girls suffered from spinal column abnormalities. The results of the experiment indicated that corrective exercises can reduce spinal column abnormalities in school students. The results of the experiment indicated that corrective exercises can reduce spinal column abnormalities in school students.

Parkinson is a degenerative disorder in basal ganglia in brain. This disease is an increasing and chronic one, and mostly affects the old people. Physical therapy is one of the ways to help these people to improve their health. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a physical therapy program that was designed based on balance and gait in patients with Parkinson. 24 patients with parkinson disease were participated voluntarily in this study. Subjects were randomized to the experimental (n = 12) or control group (n = 12). The intensity of disease in studied patients was moderate. Both groups used medicines with the same doses. Experiment group had passed a physical therapy program (10 weeks and 4 sessions in each week. Each session prolonged 1 hour) with emphasis on the tensional and supple exercises, while the control group did not passed any exercise program during this time. To assess the balance and gait, we used the berg balance scale (BBS), tinetii balance scale (tbs) and gait and balance scale (GABS). The balance and gait degrees were measured before and after the physical therapy period and the raw data were analyzed by student t-test and paired t-test. The gait and balance scores in experimental group improved significantly after the intervention (P < 0.000). The score of balance was decreased significantly in control group in the end of the study (P < 0.008). The score of gait had no significant change in control group (P = 0.820). Our findings showed that the stretching and sapling exercises have significant effect on the balance and gait in Parkinson disease.

Background and The emotional intelligence (EQ) includes understanding and control of emotions. The purpose of the present study was investigating the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership styles (transformation and transaction) in the coaches of sports teams of Region 9 of the Islamic Azad University. Methods and Materials: This study is a cross-sectional descriptive analytical research. The study population included male coaches of the sports teams of the Islamic Azad University Region 9, from among who 240 participants were randomly selected. Data collection was done through emotional intelligence questionnaire (Shoot, validity 0.84), leadership style questionnaire (Varner Bourk, validity 0.79) and a demographic questionnaire. The obtained data were statistically analyzed in SPSS 13 using descriptive statistics (frequency, mean and standard deviation) and Pearson Correlation coefficient. Mean emotional intelligence of the participants was 116.25±20.21; mean transformation and transaction leadership styles scores were 50.60±5.41 and 24.42±5.41, respectively. There was a positive significant correlation between emotional intelligence and transformation leadership style (p=0.001, r=0.404). Also, there was a significant negative correlation between emotional intelligence and transactional leadership style (p=0.001, r=-0.404). Investigating the effect of age, experience and educational major on the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership style showed that older age and experience of the coach highlights this relationship (r=0.475, p=0.000). However, this correlation was significant only in coaches with non-physical-training education (p=0.000, r=0.559). According to the results, it can be stated the higher the emotional intelligence in coaches, the stronger their willingness to transformation leadership style will be.