<p>The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to develop and to test the Perceived Health & Sport Participation Profile (PHSPP) Questionnaire; (b) to examine the relationship between athletes’ perceived health, goal orientation, self-esteem, physical self perception and sport satisfaction. The main theoretical framework used in this study is the Perceived Health & Sport Participation model (PH&SP) (Stambulova, Johnson, Lindwall & Hinic, 2005). A package of five questionnaires was completed by 139 competitive athletes representing different types and levels of sport. The data treatment involved descriptive statistics, correlation, factor, and regression analyses performed with the SPSS. A test-re-test was also performed on the PHSPP questionnaire with 30 subjects. </p><p>The study confirmed major parts of the PH&SP-model and its link to some established concepts and theories, e.g., athletic identity and goal orientation. Factor analyses of the PHSPP resulted in eight extracted factors explaining 61.46% of the total variance of the questionnaire with alpha values between 0.71 and 0.89 for all the factors. Test-re-test reliability appeared as satisfactory. Regression analyses showed that social influences on athletes contribute more to unhealthy than to healthy sport participation. Analyses also confirmed that healthy sport participation contributes to satisfaction with health and sport participation, and unhealthy sport participation contributes to dissatisfaction with health and sport participation. The results are discussed in relation to the corresponding literature and the PH&SP-model.</p><p>Key words: competitive athletes, perceived health, social influences, sport satisfaction.</p>

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to develop and to test the Perceived Health & Sport Participation Profile (PHSPP) Questionnaire; (b) to examine the relationship between athletes’ perceived health, goal orientation, self-esteem, physical self perception and sport satisfaction. The main theoretical framework used in this study is the Perceived Health & Sport Participation model (PH&SP) (Stambulova, Johnson, Lindwall & Hinic, 2005). A package of five questionnaires was completed by 139 competitive athletes representing different types and levels of sport. The data treatment involved descriptive statistics, correlation, factor, and regression analyses performed with the SPSS. A test-re-test was also performed on the PHSPP questionnaire with 30 subjects. The study confirmed major parts of the PH&SP-model and its link to some established concepts and theories, e.g., athletic identity and goal orientation. Factor analyses of the PHSPP resulted in eight extracted factors explaining 61.46% of the total variance of the questionnaire with alpha values between 0.71 and 0.89 for all the factors. Test-re-test reliability appeared as satisfactory. Regression analyses showed that social influences on athletes contribute more to unhealthy than to healthy sport participation. Analyses also confirmed that healthy sport participation contributes to satisfaction with health and sport participation, and unhealthy sport participation contributes to dissatisfaction with health and sport participation. The results are discussed in relation to the corresponding literature and the PH&SP-model. Key words: competitive athletes, perceived health, social influences, sport satisfaction.

<p>Athletes’ health in relation to sport participation has been rather unexplored from a holistic perspective. The objectives of this study were: a) to test the modified version of the Perceived Health & Sport Participation Profile (PHSPP) Questionnaire; b) to examine the relationship between athletes’ perceived health, sport satisfaction, goal orientation, athletic identity, self-esteem and physical self perception. The Perceived Health & Sport Participation model (PH&SP) (Stambulova, Johnson, Lindwal & Hinic, 2006) was used as theoretical framework. A package of five instruments was completed by 136 competitive athletes representing different sports and levels. A test-re-test was conducted on the PHSPP with 34 athletes. Descriptive statistics, factor analyses, oneway ANOVA and correlation analyses by SPSS were employed to analyze data. The results supported the PH&SP model in much but also suggested that the questionnaire still can be improved. Factor analyses resulted in eight extracted factors explaining 55.92% of the total variance. Based on factor analyses and the PH&SP-model, eight transformed component variables were created. Test-re-test reliability for these was good. The study also confirmed that there are significant relationships between the transformed component variables of the PHSPP, athletic identity, goal orientation, self-esteem and physical self perception. The results are discussed with reference to previous research and the PH&SP-model.</p>

Athletes’ health in relation to sport participation has been rather unexplored from a holistic perspective. The objectives of this study were: a) to test the modified version of the Perceived Health & Sport Participation Profile (PHSPP) Questionnaire; b) to examine the relationship between athletes’ perceived health, sport satisfaction, goal orientation, athletic identity, self-esteem and physical self perception. The Perceived Health & Sport Participation model (PH&SP) (Stambulova, Johnson, Lindwal & Hinic, 2006) was used as theoretical framework. A package of five instruments was completed by 136 competitive athletes representing different sports and levels. A test-re-test was conducted on the PHSPP with 34 athletes. Descriptive statistics, factor analyses, oneway ANOVA and correlation analyses by SPSS were employed to analyze data. The results supported the PH&SP model in much but also suggested that the questionnaire still can be improved. Factor analyses resulted in eight extracted factors explaining 55.92% of the total variance. Based on factor analyses and the PH&SP-model, eight transformed component variables were created. Test-re-test reliability for these was good. The study also confirmed that there are significant relationships between the transformed component variables of the PHSPP, athletic identity, goal orientation, self-esteem and physical self perception. The results are discussed with reference to previous research and the PH&SP-model.

Relationen mellan tränare och aktiv idrottande individ är en viktig faktor för idrottsrelaterad framgång. Många forskare framhäver dess vikt och menar att det ibland är den mest avgörande faktorn. Vidare är det bevisat att engagemang är viktigt för individens idrottsrelaterade prestationer. Syftet med undersökningen är därför att undersöka huruvida relationen mellan tränare och aktiv idrottande individ har ett samband med individens engagemang och om det föreligger skillnader mellan lagidrott och individidrott. Kvantitativ datainsamlingsmetod användes och undersökningen gjordes på 108 stycken (79 pojkar och 29 flickor) unga tävlingsidrottare i åldern 15-18 år. Undersökningen är en tvärsnittsstudie med frågeformulär baserat på tidigare forskning. Analysen gjordes med korrelationsanalys, både för totala gruppen av respondenter och på de olika idrottstyperna individuell idrott (n=55) och lagidrott (n=53) samt genom en multipel regressionsanalys. Resultatet visade på ett positivt, medelstarkt samband där en förändring i engagemang kan förklaras av en förändring i relation till 20 procent. De starkast korrelerade faktorerna visade sig vara complementarity för relation och för engagemang visade undervariablerna framåtanda och hängivenhet starkast samband med relationen. Slutsatserna visade att det finns ett samband mellan relation och engagemang. Inga betydliga skillnader i total relation fanns i jämförelsen mellan individidrott och lagidrott, dock visade det sig att olika variabler korrelerar starkast beroende på idrottstyp. För lagidrott har självförtroende och för individidrott har hängivenhet starkast samband med total relation. Nivå har även betydelse för individens engagemang, högre nivå visade ett samband med högre engagemang. / The relation between a coach and an active athlete is, as many researchers postulated, a very important factor for success in sports. Sometimes even accentuated as the most important and crucial element. Researchers have earlier proven that engagement also is very important for the individual athletes‟ prosperity. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate the relationship and its influence to the individual athletes‟ engagement and if differences between team-sports and individual sports exists. 108 young Swedish competitive athletes (79 males and 29 females) in ages between 15-18 years were examined trough a quantitative cross-sectional study. The questionnaires used is based on earlier studies and developed by other recognized researchers. Analyze is based on correlation analysis, both as the whole group of respondents as one unit and the types of sports differentiated such as individual (n=55) and team (n=53) plus multiple regression analysis. Results revealed a positive medium strong relation with an explanation in change for engagement is explained by a change in relation to a value slightly overbearing twenty percent. The factors that incline to be, at total, strongest correlated to relation are vigor and dedication and the most important subcategory in relation appeared to be complementarity. The conclusion in this study is that coach-athlete relationship is related to engagement. No considerable differences arose for total relation in comparison between individual sports and team-sports. However, results revealed that different variables in engagement are implicated differently based on type of sport. For athletes active in team-sports is self-confidence and for individual athletes is dedication the most implicated variable. Levels of competition also showed to be related to engagement, higher level were related to engagement.

Running economy is well established as a primary determinant of endurance running performance. However, there is a lack of clarity about the preferred measurement of running economy, its primary limiting factors and the most robust methods enhance running economy in highly trained athletes. Therefore, this thesis investigated the running economy of highly trained runners, exploring the reliability and validity of measures of running economy to deduce its most appropriate quantification, the application of innovative methods to enhance our understanding of an athlete s running economy, and a novel training method to enhance running economy. Chapter 3 revealed that energy cost and oxygen cost were shown to provide similarly high levels of reliability (typical error of measurement ~3%) for highly trained endurance runners when assessed using a short-duration incremental submaximal exercise protocol. In chapter 4, the analysis of a large cohort of highly trained endurance runners revealed that energy cost increased in a stepwise manner with increments in running speed (P<0.001), however oxygen cost remained consistent (P=0.54) across running speed; indicating that oxygen cost might not be an appropriate measure of running economy. Chapter 5 demonstrated that the inter-individual variation in the magnitude of changes in energy cost between different gradients (i.e. from flat running to uphill/downhill running) in highly trained runners was low. However, a disparity between the energy saving of running on a -5% gradient (-17%) and the additional energy cost of running on a +5% gradient (+32%) was evident. The cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of a large cohort of highly trained runners in chapter 6 revealed a small (r=0.25) and moderate (r=0.35) association between energy cost and maximal oxygen uptake, respectively. Finally, chapter 7 demonstrated that eight weeks of supplementary downhill run training at vLTP in existing training programmes does not enhance running economy in already well trained runners (1.22 vs 1.20 kcal kg-1 km-1; P=0.41), despite a significant increase (+2.4%) in the velocity at lactate turnpoint. In conclusion, this thesis demonstrates that energy cost, expressed as kcal kg-1 km-1, provides a reliable and valid method to quantify running economy in trained distance runners. However, further investigation is required to identify robust training methods to enhance running economy in this already highly trained population.

Background: Career ending injuries are known to cause negative psychosocial and behavioural outcomes in retired athletes. However, there has been a limited amount of quantitative studies to complement mostly qualitative research. Furthermore, qualitative studies have typically assessed the effects of athletic identity, mental health/mood disturbances, loss, coping mechanisms and social support with minimal research regarding physical body transitions and body-esteem throughout the retirement process. Thus, the purpose of this thesis was to investigate the relationship between affective, behavioural, and cognitive outcomes and athletic retirement (voluntary, involuntary) among elite and competitive athletes. Method: A retrospective mixed method (questionnaire and interview) study was utilized to examine how participants interpreted their experience during the transitional process into retirement. Inclusion criteria consisted of male and female, elite and competitive athletes who have voluntarily or involuntarily (career ending injury) retired, ages 18 and above. Exclusion criteria included non-athletes/recreational athletes, athletes who were able to return to play or retired due to illness, health problems or deselection as well as who were less than 18 years of age. Posters were advertised in sports clubs, fitness centers, sports centers, physiotherapy offices and universities as well as on social media (Facebook and Instagram). The main outcome measures are as follows:1) Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS); 2) Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ), 3) Mental Health and 4) COPE Inventory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from both retirement (voluntary and involuntary) groups. All interviews (telephone, zoom) were recorded, transcribed verbatim and a thematic analysis was implemented to further determine the various themes and subthemes. An independent t-test explored the impacts of body dimensions and coping mechanisms on retirement type. Then a factorial ANOVA was conducted to examine the effects of the dependent variables (mental health, mood disturbances and coping mechanisms) on the main analysis (retirement) and the exploratory (strength of athletic identity) analysis. Results: 50 (26 involuntary and 24 voluntary) questionnaires and eight (four voluntary and four involuntary) interviews were completed by the participants. Results from the quantitative data revealed a borderline main effect of retirement type on both mental health and mood disturbances. An exploratory analysis found retirees who weakly identified with the athletic role were less likely to experience severe mood disturbances and demonstrated higher levels of mental health than retirees who strongly identified with the athletic role. Information from qualitative data suggested participants who involuntarily retired and possessed a strong athletic identity experienced higher levels of mood disturbances (depression, frustrations, loss etc.), lower levels of mental health, identity loss, physical discomfort, negative effects of mind and body dualism as well as utilized maladaptive coping techniques than their counterpart who voluntarily retired or weakly identified with the athletic role. Conclusion: Both retirement types are subjected to various athletic and non-athletic demands and psychosocial effects of athletic retirement however, what sets them apart from experiencing a successful or unsuccessful transition into retirement is the intensity and severity of their emotional reaction to their retirement. Limitations of said study included a decrease in sample size, memory recall bias, the participant’s own bias, limited diversity of the sample population as well as the inability to verify the findings from the interviews. The following study can be implemented to aid researchers, retired or soon to be retired athletes, coaches and athletic personnel to comprehend the diverse areas of athletic retirement. Future research should aim to investigate the impacts of mood disorders, the utilization of psychologist or mental performance consultant during the retirement process as well as the effects of body dimensions in retired athletes. Lastly, a longitudinal study should be employed to examine the athlete’s emotional response and reaction throughout retirement (time of injury, during physiotherapy, post- surgery and recovery). / Graduate