IntroductionCountryside-themed tourism short videos have become important sources of destination information and travel inspiration, yet the affective and motivational responses associated with attractive content may not be equally relevant to travel intention. Drawing on the stimulus–organism–response framework, this study examined the associations among perceived content attractiveness, emotional arousal, need for escapism, and travel intention and directly compared the two specific indirect associations.MethodsPerceived content attractiveness was conceptualized as a higher-order appraisal comprising destination attractiveness, presenter attractiveness, and video design attractiveness. Data were collected through an online survey of a convenience sample of 434 Chinese social media users who had previously viewed short videos about countryside life or rural tourism. Structural equation modeling and bias-corrected bootstrapping were used to examine the proposed relationships.ResultsPerceived content attractiveness was positively associated with travel intention, emotional arousal, and need for escapism. Need for escapism was positively associated with travel intention, whereas the unique structural association between emotional arousal and travel intention was not significant. The specific indirect association through need for escapism was significant, whereas that through emotional arousal was not. A bootstrap comparison further showed that the specific indirect association through need for escapism was significantly larger than that through emotional arousal.DiscussionThese findings distinguish experiential activation from restoration-oriented motivational relevance and suggest that need for escapism is more closely associated with travel intention than emotional arousal in the context of countryside-themed short videos. The results highlight the value of considering not only emotional engagement but also the motivational relevance of restoration and temporary escape in countryside tourism communication.
IntroductionThe horse-rider relationship is increasingly recognized as a determinant of psychological well-being in equestrian riders, yet validated instruments remain scarce outside English-speaking contexts. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Horse-Rider Relationship Scale (HRRS) and its associations with mental well-being in Hungarian female equestrian riders.Material and methodsA cross-sectional survey was administered to 160 female equestrian riders in Hungary. Participants completed the HRRS—measuring compatibility, communication, respect, trust, and self-confidence—and the Sport Mental Health Continuum Short Form. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Pearson correlations were conducted; group differences by horse ownership were also examined.ResultsThe CFA confirmed the five-factor structure with acceptable fit (CFI = .974, TLI = .962, RMSEA = .059, SRMR = .037). Horse ownership was not associated with any HRRS dimension. All five relationship dimensions yielded significant positive correlations with emotional, psychological, and social well-being, with the strongest associations found for self-confidence (r = 0.495) and communication (r = 0.485) with psychological well-being.ConclusionsThe HRRS demonstrates sound psychometric properties in a Hungarian female equestrian sample. Relationship quality—rather than horse ownership—is associated with greater mental well-being, underscoring the importance of fostering the horse-rider bond in both sport and therapeutic equestrian contexts.
IntroductionUnderstanding how physical demands relate to match performance is essential for optimizing load management and position-specific preparation in professional basketball, as high-intensity competitive calendars require precise control over players' physical efforts. This study examined the relationship between external load and competitive performance, assessing the moderating role of playing position and pre-competition workload (MD-1).MethodsData from 12 professional male players across 18 official matches and 14 training sessions were analyzed, tracking physical demands (Player Load [PL], Dynamic Stress Load [DSL], landings and impacts) and game statistics. Linear mixed-effects models assessed performance outcomes while accounting for playing position, locality, and match outcome.ResultsLandings·min−1 was positively associated with Points·min−1 (p = 0.004, β = 0.27, η2p = 0.05), indicating that a higher landing frequency is associated with an increased scoring output in our confirmatory models. In exploratory analyses, a significant interaction effect was found between PL·min−1 and PTS·min−1 (p = 0.046, β = 0.15, η2p = 0.02), highlighting that these roles' physical demands are more directly linked to their efficiency and scoring output. However, the vast majority of analyzed physical demands metrics and all of the pre-competition loads showed no significant relationships with performance variables across the conducted analyses.DiscussionOverall, the findings indicate that physical loads interact with performance in a way that depends on playing position, particularly highlighting stronger relationships between workloads and scoring outputs; therefore, these findings suggest that position-specific monitoring of selected external-load metrics may provide complementary information when interpreting competitive performance in professional basketball, though these secondary exploratory observations warrant cautious interpretation and future confirmation.
IntroductionThis systematic review synthesised research on the developmental activities of elite male football players and evaluated what existing evidence reveals about variation in developmental pathways across populations and contexts.MethodsGuided by the Developmental Model of Sport Participation, a framework synthesis was employed to integrate predominantly quantitative data within a qualitative, context-sensitive approach. Eighteen peer-reviewed studies were included following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, examining engagement in domain-specific activities (structured training, competition and informal play) and non-domain-specific activities (other sports).ResultsEarly exposure to football was consistent across the reviewed studies, with differentiation towards elite performance emerging during adolescence through increased structured, coach-led practice. Evidence supporting early diversification was inconsistent, while engagement in informal play varied considerably across populations. Although developmental activity patterns differed between populations, the primary studies rarely measured the socio-cultural, institutional or environmental conditions potentially associated with these differences.DiscussionThe review extends existing knowledge by distinguishing between evidence describing what elite players did during development and evidence explaining why particular developmental pathways emerged. The findings suggest that expertise development may reflect a dynamic interaction between structured training and socio-cultural environments, supporting a context-dependent understanding of football expertise. Future research should combine developmental activity histories with direct measurements of contextual factors to better explain how different pathways to elite football emerge.Systematic Review RegistrationPROSPERO identifier CRD420251244740.
