Browsing by Author "Gomes, A. Rui"
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- Athletes' perspective on parental involvement, motivation, and performance throughout a football seasonPublication . Morais, Catarina; Gomes, A. Rui; Teixeira, Marco; Branco, CatarinaProblem Statement: Athletes’ goal orientation is a widely-studied topic in sports because motivation significantly influences sport participation and overall development. According to Achievement Goal Theory (AGT), athletes adopt either a task/mastery orientation – where success is determined by continuous development – or an ego orientation, where success is determined by comparison to others’ performance. These orientations impact athletes’ effort, perseverance and, ultimately, their performance. However, goal orientation is not only intrinsic; it can also be shaped by parental behaviors and involvement in sports. The present study tests the assumption that athletes’ perception of parental involvement affects their goal achievement orientation, which, in turn, predicts their performance. Approach: A total of 153 young athletes competing at elite levels were followed across a football season. At Time 1 (T1), participants completed a questionnaire assessing their parents’ involvement in sport (for both mothers and fathers), their own goal achievement orientation, and their perceived performance. At Time 2 (T2), the final stage of the season, they again completed a measure of perception of performance. Additionally, objective performance data were collected by researchers at both T1 and T2. Results and Conclusions: The results revealed that athletes’ perceptions of ´parental involvement can influence their goal orientations – specifically, the involvement of their fathers, but not mothers. This, in turn, affects their perceptions of performance, though it does not have an impact on actual (objective) performance. In other words, the more athletes perceive their fathers to be involved in their sport, the stronger their mastery orientation, which contributes to a more positive perception of performance at T1 and consequently T2.
- Being an effective leader: relationship between philosophy, practice and leadership indicatorsPublication . Morais, Catarina; Resende, Rui; Gomes, A. Rui; Alves, João
- Coach-athletes communication: data from the communication behaviors evaluation systemPublication . Gomes, A. Rui; Almeida, Albino; Resende, Rui; Morais, CatarinaEste estudo analisa a comunicação entre treinadores e atletas, utilizando o Sistema de Avaliação de Comportamentos de Comunicação (SACC). Este sistema proporciona uma perspetiva ampla das interações entre treinadores e atletas, considerando a perspetiva de ambos e de observadores. Os comportamentos foram avaliados através do Questionário de Comportamentos Comunicacionais (QCC), versão para treinador, atletas e observador. O estudo incluiu 64 atletas de futsal masculino, com idades entre 13 e 43 anos (M = 18.98, DP = 7.05) e os seus treinadores, do sexo masculino, com idades entre 29 e 43 anos (M = 35.75, DP = 5.26). Os resultados revelaram seis aspetos: (1) o CBQ assumiu uma estrutura de dois fatores (comportamentos positivos e negativos), mas um item foi suprimido; (2) os treinadores assumiram comportamentos positivos com mais frequência do que comportamentos negativos; (3) os comportamentos espontâneos positivos foram ligeiramente mais frequentes do que os comportamentos reativos positivos; (4) os treinadores avaliaram-se como apresentando mais comportamentos reativos negativos do que comportamentos espontâneos negativos; (5) feedback positivo e incentivo após insucesso foram os comportamentos positivos mais frequentes; (6) feedback negativo foi o comportamento negativo mais frequente. O SACC assumiu-se como uma ferramenta útil para avaliar a comunicação entre treinadores e atletas.
- Coping strategies before competition: the role of stress, cognitive appraisal and emotionsPublication . Nogueira, José Miguel; Simães, Clara; Morais, Catarina; Mansell, Paul; Gomes, A. RuiSports, and especially competitions, can be a stressful experience for athletes, who often struggle to find and apply strategies to cope with stress. Thus, this study analyzes how different coping strategies anticipated to be employed in an important competition are explained by psychological (i.e., cognitive appraisal and emotions) and person and sports- related factors (i.e., gender, type of sport). Specifically, athletes were asked to complete a protocol 24–48 h prior to an important competition to assess their adaptation to stress related to high performance. The study included 383 athletes (60% male, Mage = 22.9 ± 5.3 years), from individual (swimming and running, n = 157; 41%) and team sports (handball, vol- leyball, n = 226; 59%) competing in major national leagues. Hierarchical linear regression analyses (enter method) were performed to examine the extent to which coping strategies and coping efficacy were explained by psychological, personal and sport-related variables. Results indicated (a) higher control perception and excitement were related with higher intention to use active coping; (b) being a female athlete, practicing individual sports, and excitement (higher intensity and facilitative value) were associated with a higher intention to use emotional support; (c) being a female athlete, lower coping perception, higher anger intensity, and higher facilitative value of happiness were associated with a higher antic- ipated use of humor; and (d) being a male athlete, higher anxiety, anger, and happiness intensity, and lower facilitative value of dejection and excitement were associated with higher anticipated use of denial. In sum, the explanation of each coping strategy is distinct and should be analyzed separately.
- Do we really need sport psychologists?: facilitators and barriers to sport psychology developmentPublication . Gomes, A. Rui; Morais, CatarinaEven though sport psychology is an established field of Psychology, with over a century of research and well-defined practice, there are still questions about the added value of these professionals. In this paper, we briefly reflect on some of the advantages of hiring sport psychologists. namely the benefits of supporting evidence-based practice, certified professionals, and developing the athlete as a whole (not just focusing on their performance). On the other hand, there are some barriers related to costs, work conditions, and development opportunities that make organizations question the hiring of such professionals. In this manuscript, we propose a decision-tree on hiring sport psychologists based on one’s analysis of four domains: beliefs about science, ethical issues, career opportunities and work conditions.
- Emotional profile of athletes before competition: contributions for perceived stress, cognitive appraisal and coping strategiesPublication . Nogueira, José Miguel; Morais, Catarina; Mansell, Paul; Gomes, A. RuiIntroduction: Understanding athletes’ emotional experience prior to competition is crucial for examining their adaptation to stress. Earlier research suggested anxiety impaired performance by disrupting tasks like information processing, attention, and concentration—leading to increased stress and perceived threat. Over time, focus shifted toward understanding how athletes’ interpretations of anxiety could influence performance positively. This led to broader research into other emotions typically considered “negative” (e.g., anger, dejection) and “positive” (e.g., excitement, happiness). However, how these emotions influence performance and interact with intensity has been under-studied. Methods: A total of 383 elite athletes completed a questionnaire 24–48 h before a major competition, assessing overall stress, emotional intensity (excitement, happiness, anxiety, anger, dejection), emotional direction, cognitive appraisal, and coping strategies. Results: A cluster analysis based on emotion intensity and direction identified three athlete profiles: “Emotionally Balanced” (moderate intensity), “Facilitating Arousal Profile” (mixed intensity, all emotions viewed as performance-enhancing), and “Low Arousal Profile” (low emotional intensity). Despite differing emotional profiles, athletes reported similar stress levels before competition. However, those in the “Facilitating Arousal Profile” reported greater challenge appraisals, perceived control, and use of adaptive coping strategies compared to others. Discussion: These findings suggest that not just emotional intensity but also the perceived impact of emotions plays a key role in performance. These results have important implications for psychological interventions, emphasizing the need to consider both how emotions are experienced and how they are interpreted in the context of competition.
- Envolvimento parental, orientação motivacional e perceção de rendimento no futebol juvenil: estudo com jovens atletasPublication . Branco, Catarina; Gomes, A. Rui; Morais, CatarinaEste estudo analisou as diferenças na perceção dos atletas acerca dos comportamentos parentais, considerando também a importância do escalão desportivo dos atletas. Além disso, foi analisado se diferentes perfis de envolvimento parental, segundo a avaliação dos atletas aos seus pais, correspondiam a diferenças na orientação motivacional e na perceção de rendimento dos jovens atletas. Participaram no estudo 292 atletas do sexo masculino com idades compreendidas entre os 12 e 19 anos (M = 15.0; DP = 1.5), praticantes de futebol no campeonato nacional. Foram aplicados três instrumentos, (1) Questionário de Comportamentos Parentais no Desporto; (2) Escala de Objetivos de Realização no Desporto Juvenil; (3) Questionário de Perceção de Rendimento Desportivo. Os resultados indicaram (a) diferenças na perceção de comportamentos do pai e da mãe separadamente, sendo que, a perceção dos atletas variou em função do seu escalão desportivo; e (b) a orientação motivacional e a perceção de rendimento variaram em função do perfil de envolvimento parental percebido. Em suma, os resultados demonstram a importância do envolvimento parental no desporto juvenil, devendo este fator ser considerado pelos profissionais que intervêm junto dos jovens atletas.
- Explaining organizational commitment and job satisfaction: the role of leadership and seniorityPublication . Morais, Catarina; Queirós, Francisca; Couto, Sara; Gomes, A. Rui; Simães, ClaraEffective leaders increase organizational success. The Leadership Efficacy Model suggests that leaders’ efficacy increases when leaders are perceived as congruent; that is, when employees perceive the leader to do (practical cycle of leadership) what s/he says will (conceptual cycle of leadership) and there is a close match between what employees expect from leaders and what leaders display. This recent theoretical framework also acknowledges that a number of factors can interfere with the relationship between leadership cycle congruence and leadership efficacy. Such antecedent factors include group members’ characteristics (e.g., organizational seniority). This study aimed to test the assumption that leadership cycles congruence positively predicts leadership efficacy (measured by organizational commitment and job satisfaction, and that this relationship is moderated by employees’ seniority. 318 employees (55% male, with an average seniority of 8 years) completed a questionnaire assessing leadership cycles, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction. Path analysis results showed that the higher leadership cycles congruence, the higher employees’ organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Furthermore, the rela- tionship between leadership cycle congruence and organizational commitment was stronger for more senior members of the organization (but not for job satisfaction). The results highlight the importance of leaders act in a congruent manner with their ideas and of meeting employees’ needs. Moreover, it shows that senior members of the organization are parti- cularly sensitive to leadership congruency.
- Leadership efficacy in youth football: athletes' and coaches’ perspectivePublication . Gomes, A. Rui; Gonçalves, Alexandre; Morais, Catarina; Simães, Clara; Resende, RuiAccording to the Leadership Efficacy Model, leadership efficacy depends on leaders’ tendency to make linear relationships between leadership philosophy, practice, and criteria (i.e., congruence of leadership cycles). Moreover, efficacy increases if coaches make these linear relationships by using the optimal leadership profile and by considering the antecedent factors of leadership (characteristics of the leader, team members, and organizational conditions; i.e., favorability of conditions for leadership). This study compared the perceptions of athletes and their coaches regarding leadership cycles, and tested the moderator role of optimal leadership profile and leadership favorability in the relationship between leadership cycles and leadership efficacy. This study included 92 football athletes (ages less than 17 and 19 years) and respective coaches (n = 5). The evaluation protocol included measures of leadership cycles, leadership styles, leadership favorability, and sport performance perception. Athletes and coaches agreed on coaches’ need to increase their practice and criteria, but athletes also considered that coaches should better clarify their philosophy. Regression analyses confirmed that leadership congruency predicts higher perceptions of team performance in athletes. Moreover, optimal leadership profile and higher leadership favorability were associated with higher team and individual performance. However, these two factors did not moderate the relationship between leadership congruency and efficacy.
- Leadership efficacy, perceived sport performance, and satisfaction with leadership of competitive athletesPublication . Sousa, Jacinta; Morais, Catarina; Gomes, A. Rui; Simães, Clara; Abreu, Andrés; Resende, RuiThe Leadership Efficacy Model is an integrative approach that considers three distinct factors involved in leadership efficacy that simultaneously contribute to explaining leadership efficacy (i.e., Optimized Congruence Hypothesis; OCH): leadership cycles, leadership styles, and antecedent factors of leadership. This study tested the OCH by evaluating the relationship between leadership cycles and the perception of sport performance (individual and team) and satisfaction with leadership, considering also the influence of leadership styles and antecedent factors of leadership. It also tested the invariance of the OCH according to athletes’ gender and type of sport. The study included 255 athletes (146 women) playing basketball or volleyball competitively. Results indicated the need for coaches to explain leadership cycles further to their athletes and confirmed the OCH for perception of individual sport performance and satisfaction with leadership. This relationship was mediated by leadership styles and antecedent factors, regardless of athletes’ gender and type of sport. In summary, coaches should consider the leadership cycles, styles, and antecedent factors of leadership to increase their efficacy.