Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Junior Rowers

Effects of a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Intervention on the Rowers of the Junior Spain National Team

A quasi-experimental study was carried out with the complete team of the Spanish youth team of Rowing (n = 16). The setting where the intervention took place was during the concentration prior to the 2020 European Rowing Junior Championships. The final assessment was carried out the week before the championship (after finishing the 10th week of intervention). Psychological variables were assessed using the Psychological Characteristics Related to Sport Performance Questionnaire.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Stress; Motivation; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Experience; Water Sports; Psychological Techniques
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Detailed Description

A quasi-experimental study was carried out with the complete team of the Spanish youth team of Rowing (n = 16). The setting where the intervention took place was during the concentration prior to the 2020 European Rowing Junior Championships (held in Belgrade between September 25th and 27th). The athletes were concentrated without leaving their accommodation during the eleven weeks prior to the championship. A total of 27 rowers started the concentration, of whom 16 were eventually selected to participate in the championship.

A mental training program was carried out with the following objectives: (a) to learn to manage their level of activation; (b) to train their ability to concentrate; (c) to optimize their self-confidence; (d) to learn to compete by improving their racing routines; and (d) to integrate mental training into their day-to-day life.

The athletes worked in small groups of four athletes. In addition, the days that the psychologist attended the concentration, he was also present in the training sessions, with the aim of giving them feedback on the strategies acquired. The psychologist was present in various phases throughout the concentration and there was also a constant online monitoring. Each week, a sheet of tasks to be executed and a diary were provided to verify compliance with the guidelines.

The initial assessment was carried out on the second day of the concentration after the explanation of the intervention to be carried out. The final assessment was carried out the week before the championship (after finishing the 10th week of intervention).

Psychological variables were assessed using the Psychological Characteristics Related to Sport Performance Questionnaire (CPRD) (Gimeno, Buceta, & Perez-Llantada, 2007), based on the Psychological Skills Inventory for Sports (PSIS) (Mahoney, Gabriel, & Perkins, 1987). The questionnaire consists of 55 items graded in a 5-option Likert scale (from totally disagree to totally agree). It also includes a response option "I do not understand" to avoid missing answers. CPRD includes five subscales: Stress Control (SC), Influence of Performance Evaluation (IPE), Motivation (M), Team Cohesion (TC), and Mental Skills (MS), showing acceptable values of internal consistency for the total scale (α = 0.85) and for most of the subscales (αSC = 0.88; αIPE = 0.72; αM = 0.67; αTC = 0.78; αMS = 0.34) (Gimeno, & Pérez-Llanta, 2010).

In addition, the following study variables were taken into account: gender, age, years of experience in the rowing discipline and the position achieved on the podium in the 2020 European Championships.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 16
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Ponferrada, Spain
    • Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 18 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Members of the Spanish youth team of Rowing

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not wanting to participate in the intervention.
• Not wanting to participate in the evaluation sessions.
• Failure to provide informed consent for participation by parents or guardians.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Group; A mental training program was carried out with the following objectives: (a) to learn to manage their level of activation; (b) to train their ability to concentrate; (c) to optimize their self-confidence; (d) to learn to compete by improving their racing routines; and (d) to integrate mental training into their day-to-day life. The athletes worked in small groups of four athletes. In addition, the days that the psychologist attended the concentration, he was also present in the training sessions, with the aim of giving them feedback on the strategies acquired. The psychologist was present in various phases throughout the concentration and there was also a constant online monitoring. Each week, a sheet of tasks to be executed and a diary were provided to verify compliance with the guidelines.

Behavioral: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy; Each week, a sheet of tasks to be executed and a diary were provided to verify compliance with the guidelines: Week 0. Familiarization: Information gathering; 1st week. Self-knowledge and concentration: To know sports psychology and mental training. Information on beliefs and expectations in sport.; 2nd week: To integrate daily mental training.; 3rd week. Trust: To consolidate concentration activation. To integrate and build confidence (in oneself and in the team).; 4th week. Application to sports tactics: To apply concentration strategies to your sports practice. To know those strategies that provide the best results for each athlete.; 5th and 6th weeks: To integrate the content already provided.; 7th week. Link with the team: To strengthen the bond between team members.; 8th week. Daily routines: To improve the daily routine prior to the competition.; 9th and 10th weeks: To integrate the content already provided.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Psychological variables	Psychological variables were assessed using the Psychological Characteristics Related to Sport Performance Questionnaire (CPRD) based on the Psychological Skills Inventory for Sports (PSIS).	The initial assessment: second day of the concentration. Final assessment: week before the championship (after finishing the 10th week of intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Universidad de León

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 27, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): December 31, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 9, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 9, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): December 23, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 13, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 23, 2021
• Last Verified: December 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: SPAROW21

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: To publish a scientific article with the results obtained.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No