Mark Chen - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Mark Chen

Perceptual and Motor Skills, Jul 18, 2013

S ummary.-This study investigated whether mental toughness distinguishes mixed martial arts (MMA)... more S ummary.-This study investigated whether mental toughness distinguishes mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes competing at diff erent levels. It was theorized that higher mental toughness would separate those competing at the professional level compared to lower levels. Male MMA competitors (N = 136, M age = 27.1 yr., SD = 4.8) were categorized as amateur, semi-professional, or professional and assessed by questionnaire using the Psychological Performance Inventory-A and the Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire. There were statistically signifi cant differences between the three groups on mental toughness. The professional group had higher scores compared to semi-professional and amateur groups with regard to confi dence, positive cognition, and determination. The fi ndings supported previous work that athletes performing at higher levels have superior mental toughness. Mental toughness has often been cited as being the crucial psychological attribute for explaining diff erences in athletic performance (see Clough,

Journal of sport behavior, Mar 1, 2019

The current study explored the association between three categories of coping (problem focused co... more The current study explored the association between three categories of coping (problem focused coping, emotion focused coping and avoidance coping) and psychological distress in elite adolescent soccer players following professional academy deselection. Data regarding trait and specific coping was collected from 21 deselected players who completed the Brief COPE and General Health Questionnaire-12 at three time-points: 7-14 days before selection procedures (MT1), 7 days after (MT2), and 21 days after (MT3). A significant positive correlation between trait and specific avoidance and psychological distress at MT2 and MT3 was found. In addition, a significant negative correlation between trait problem focused coping and psychological distress was found at MT2. Other hypothesized associations were not found, however. The research, therefore, provides evidence that some coping strategies are associated with psychological distress in the first month following deselection from a professional soccer club. Clinical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Perceptual and Motor Skills, Feb 3, 2021

Mindfulness-acceptance commitment interventions in sport and exercise contexts have been helpful ... more Mindfulness-acceptance commitment interventions in sport and exercise contexts have been helpful in increasing a positive psycho-physiological state among competitive athletes and recreational exercise participants. In the current study, we sought to extend research in this area by identifying the effect of a brief-mindfulness intervention on psychophysiological functioning among sedentary young healthy adults. Our mixed gender sample (n = 48) of inactive individuals performed a brief cycling task without training (control condition) followed by task completion with brief mindfulness training (15-minute audio engagement with mindfulness techniques and specific present moment 'anchors'). We found that participants self-reported more accurate ratings of perceived exertion (i.e., self-ratings better matched actual physiological indices of exertion) suggesting that mindfulness techniques can increase bodily awareness which may be useful in helping sedentary participants appreciate physiological changes associated with exercise. The mindfulness manipulation also increased participants' absorption into the activity, suggesting that participants were more attentive to the exercise task and less distracted by irrelevant external and internal cues. Generally, these findings suggest that mindfulness may be a complementary psychological training tool for inactive, sedentary young adults who are re-engaging with exercise. We provide recommendations for future research.

Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, 2018

This study examined the relationship between mental toughness and failure attributions in high le... more This study examined the relationship between mental toughness and failure attributions in high level swimmers. Participants were 80, (Mage=21.64, S.D: 4.96 years) regional and national level swimmers who were currently competing. Participants were asked to recall a perceived failure in the previous four weeks, fill in the controllability, stability, globality and universality attribution measure (CSGU) and eight weeks later complete the mental toughness questionnaire-48 (MTQ48). Multiple regression analysis found a significant effect of mental toughness and stability on controllability (∆R 2 = 0.042, p = 0.021) when the generalizability dimensions were added to the model. Separate multiple regression analysis for both genders, revealed that males mental toughness and stability predicted controllability (∆R 2 = 0.200, p = 0.029) compared to females mental toughness and universality (∆R 2 = 0.080, p = 0.027) predicting controllability. In conclusion the present study found evidence for mental toughness predicting controllability attributions following competitive failure for a group of high level male and female swimmers. Gender differences were found in how the generalizability attributions predicting controllability. Findings are discussed in terms of mental toughness and the generalizability dimensions predicting controllability attributions in response to competitive failure and suggestions to examine the relationship further.

Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, Mar 1, 2016

Elite adolescent soccer players may represent one athletic population that is vulnerable to devel... more Elite adolescent soccer players may represent one athletic population that is vulnerable to developing psychological distress following deselection. This study examined the proportion of players experiencing clinical levels of psychological distress following selection procedures and whether player status (i.e., deselected vs. retained) had a significant effect on psychological distress. Data was collected from 91 players who completed the General Health Questionnaire -12 at three time points: 7–14 days before selection procedures, 7 days after and 21 days after. Although outcomes were heterogeneous, a sizable proportion of deselected players were found to experience clinical levels of psychological distress. A factorial ANOVA (p < .001) found that deselected players experienced higher levels of psychological distress than retained players at postselection time points. The research provides evidence that some deselected players are “at risk” of developing clinical levels of psychological distress. Clinical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, 2020

There are limited studies examining the effects of a mindfulness intervention for a specific spor... more There are limited studies examining the effects of a mindfulness intervention for a specific sport population group. The aim of this applied study was to investigate the effects of a mindful sport performance enhancement (MSPE) program on the mindfulness and flow of adolescent swimmers. Sixteen competitive adolescent swimmers were split into MSPE (n = 9) and relaxation training (RT) (n = 7) groups for eight weeks. Participants completed measures of trait and state flow mindfulness pre and post intervention. Paired t test results revealed that the MSPE group improved trait flow characteristics and global trait flow. ANCOVA analysis also revealed significantly higher effects on global trait flow and the action-awareness merging and clear goals subscales for the MSPE group compared to the RT group. These results suggested that sport orientated mindfulness interventions can psychologically benefit competitive youth swimmers. The study indicates that further research could consider applied designs to investigate in more detail the experiences this population has with specific mindfulness exercises.

Perceptual and Motor Skills, Jun 11, 2019

This study assessed the effect of two different psychological methods of skills training self-tal... more This study assessed the effect of two different psychological methods of skills training self-talk and goal setting-on the swimming performance of youth swimmers. We allocated aconvenience sample of club and county level youth swimmers (N=49;Mage= 10.8,SD = 1.25) to one of three groups: self-talk, goal setting or a control group engaged in no systematic psychological method of skills training. The groups were balanced in terms of competitive performance ability, age and gender.Participantsin the experimental conditions (self-talk and goal setting) completed a five-week psychological skills intervention program and were measured on pre-and post-200meter swimming time in competition. After controlling for level of engagement in the program, ANCOVA revealed a significant omnibus effect (p = 0.006, η 2 = 0.20) with post hoc pairwise comparisons using magnitude based statistics demonstrating that goal setting had a smallpositive effect compared to self-talk ( 2 = 0.40; +/-0.45). Both self-talk ( 2 =0.50 +/-0.48) and goal setting ( 2 = 0.71 +/-0.4), showed a small and moderate positive effect,respectively,relative to the control group. A social validation check confirmed that the swimmers found the intervention to be relevant, beneficial and meaningful for improving performance. Psychological skills training may be effective in improving youth swimming performance; specific mechanisms underlying these benefits need further exploration.

Sports Medicine, 2020

We read with significant interest the work produced by Jones et al. [1] regarding transgender ath... more We read with significant interest the work produced by Jones et al. [1] regarding transgender athletes’ experiences.1 However, there are two contentious issues that need further discussion. First, the contention that transgender females have no athletic advantage at any stage of transitioning when competing against cisgendered females is highly questionable, as there is evidence to the contrary. Second, the sporting policies provided to support the inclusion of transgender females seem to omit sports that require the physical components of strength, power, size, combat skills and speed. These sports would present a greater athletic advantage for transgendered females. The authors have made a significant start in this area, but a more nuanced argument is needed to understand the inclusion policies aimed at this special population.

Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2018

This study examined the relationship between mental toughness (MT), subjectively perceived perfor... more This study examined the relationship between mental toughness (MT), subjectively perceived performance, and dispositional flow in a sample of 114 high-performing ironmen and standard distance triathletes ( Mage = 28.81 years, SD = 3.45) recruited from triathlon clubs. Participants completed the Mental Toughness Questionnaire, Dispositional Flow Scale, and self-rated subjectively perceived performance. Pearson’s correlations between these measures revealed a significant, positive relationship between global MT and subjective performance ratings ( r = .62, p < .01) and between global MT and all Dispositional Flow subscales ( r = .67–.81, p < .05). Linear regression analyses found that MT subscales accounted for 64% of the variance in dispositional flow. Subjective performance ratings did not add significantly to the regression model. Overall, these findings suggest that MT may contribute positively to ironman competitors’ and triathletes’ exertion of the cognitive and emotional ...