Psychological Health
Background to the Research Field
Psychological Health is becoming increasingly important in competitive sports. While physical fitness was once the primary focus, it is now widely recognized that mental health and well-being are essential for peak athletic performance. Many renowned athletes, such as Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, and Robin Gosens, have spoken openly about their mental health struggles. Yet, the topic often remains in the background, and the true number of those affected is difficult to determine.
There are many factors in competitive sports that can impact mental health. Injuries, intense pressure to perform, and high expectations can be stressful and overwhelming for athletes. At the same time, sport offers positive experiences like a sense of community, achievement, and social support. This highlights that sport can be both beneficial and challenging for mental health.
It is our goal to shed light on mental health burdens in competitive sports through anonymous surveys and to share our research openly with the public. By doing so, we aim to break down stigma and encourage a more open, supportive conversation about the importance of mental health in competitive sports and provide practical implications for athletes, coaches, and sport psychologists.
Projects within the Research Field
In this study, we explored symptoms of anxiety and depression in youth and adult teams of a Bundesliga soccer club across an entire soccer season. Our results showed that mental health is an important issue in elite soccer and may affect female players more than male players. In addition, we found evidence that symptoms change throughout the season. This motivated us to focus more on mental health in our future projects.
Handbook for Psychological Diagnostics in Sport
Handbuch sportpsychologische Diagnostik von Jan Spielmann, Christoph Herr, Hans-Dieter Hermann & Jan Mayer
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Project Cooperations
Schuhfried, Mödling
The TSG ResearchLab uses the Vienna Test System's psychological assessments to measure a variety of cognitive abilities of individuals ranging from general, clinical and high-performing populations.
skills.lab, Graz
The TSG ResearchLab works together with skills.lab to develop new cognitive assessments in a 360° environment.
Scientific Journal Publications
Beavan, A., Spielmann, J., Ehmann, P., & Mayer, J. (2022). The Development of Executive Functions in High-Level Female Soccer Players. Perceptual and Motor Skills. https://doi.org/10.1177/00315125221096989
Ehmann, P., Beavan, A., Spielmann, J., Mayer, J., Altmann, S., Ruf, L., ... & Englert, C. (2022). Perceptual-cognitive performance of youth soccer players in a 360°-environment–Differences between age groups and performance levels. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 59, 102120.
Ehmann, P., Beavan, A., Spielmann, J., Ruf, L., Mayer, J., Rohrmann, S., ... & Englert, C. (2021). 360°-multiple object tracking in team sport athletes: Reliability and relationship to visuospatial cognitive functions. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 55, 101952.
Chin, V., Beavan, A., Fransen, J., Mayer, J., Kohn, R., Ryan, L. M., & Sisson, S. A. (2021). Modelling age-related changes in executive functions of soccer players. arXiv preprint arXiv:2105.01226.
Beavan, A., Chin, V., Ryan, L. M., Spielmann, J., Mayer, J., Skorski, S., ... & Fransen, J. (2020). A Longitudinal Analysis of the Executive Functions in High-Level Soccer Players. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 1(aop), 1-9.
Beavan, A., Spielmann, J., Mayer, J., Skorski, S., Meyer, T., & Fransen, J. (2020). The rise and fall of executive functions in high-level football players. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 101677.
Beavan, A. F., Spielmann, J., Mayer, J., Skorski, S., Meyer, T., & Fransen, J. (2019). Age-related differences in executive functions within high-level youth soccer players. Brazilian Journal of Motor Behavior, 13(2), 64-75.
Scientific Reports & Theses
Cölsch, R. (2019). Anwendung des Wiener Testsystems (WTS), um die Exekutiven Funktionen zu erforschen und den Zusammenhang zu Fußballspezifika weiter zu untermauern. Masterthesis at Deutsche Hochschule für Prävention und Gesundheitsmanagement Saarbrücken, University of Applied Sciences.
Ehmann, P. (2019). Kognitive Funktionen im Nachwuchsfußball: eine Analyse verschiedener sportlicher Leistungsniveaus, Altersstufen und einer kontextspezifischen Aufgabe. Masterthesis at Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main. Frankfurt, Germany.
Rosenegger, M. (2019). Testung ausgewählter Exekutivfunktionen zum Vergleich der kognitiven Leistungsfähigkeit zweier Mannschafts-sportarten. Masterthesis at Deutsche Hochschule für Prävention und Gesundheitsmanagement Saarbrücken, University of Applied Sciences.
Schächtele, B. (2019). Vergleich der exekutiven Funtionen zweier ausgewählter Berufsgruppen. Masterthesis at Deutsche Hochschule für Prävention und Gesundheitsmanagement Saarbrücken, University of Applied Sciences.
Schöneberg, J. (2019). Testung von zwei ausgewählten exekutiven Funktionen zum Vergleich der kognitiven Leistungsfähigkeit der Mannschaftssportarten Handball und Fußball. Masterthesis at Deutsche Hochschule für Prävention und Gesundheits-management Saarbrücken, University of Applied Sciences.
