New Study Released: 'The effect of esteem support on rebound resilience during cycling time trials and an examination of potential mechanisms' by McCluskey and Stevens (2024).
In short: Social support increases distance travelled and maximum heart rate in cycling athletes, thus demonstrating greater rebound resilience. Esteem support increased task motivation, but not challenge or threat appraisals or perceived pain.
More Detail: Social support can facilitate performance during sport tasks and boost resilience following long-term sporting setbacks. Furthermore, this study examined whether social support helped people bounce back from acute setbacks. Does esteem support impact a performers distance travelled and their maximum heart rate in a cycling time trial after (relative to before) a setback. The research also explored whether these effects were mediated by participants’ within-task pain perceptions and retrospective evaluations of task motivation and challenge and threat appraisals. Athletes completed two time trials in quick succession.
Following Trial 1, all participants received negative feedback about their performance, and Trial 2 participants either received or didn’t receive esteem support. Participants receiving esteem support travelled further and had higher heart rates. Increases in task motivation was also evident in those who received esteem support. Findings indicate providing people with esteem support may be an effective way to enhance their capacity to bounce back from setbacks during sporting tasks.
Find it here:
McCluskey, T., & Stevens, M. (2024). The effect of esteem support on rebound resilience during cycling time trials and an examination of potential mechanisms. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology.
