This chapter explores the dynamic process of resilience among parents raising children with intellectual disabilities (ID), emphasizing the interplay between stress, adaptation, and growth. It examines how chronic caregiving demands, systemic barriers, and social stigma affect parental well-being, while highlighting the coping mechanisms—problem-focused, emotion-focused, and meaning-focused—that sustain psychological balance. Integrating ecological and family resilience frameworks, the chapter identifies key protective factors such as parental self-efficacy, social support, optimism, family cohesion, and cultural or spiritual beliefs. It argues that resilience is a relational and systemic process fostered through supportive family dynamics, inclusive policies, and community engagement. Ultimately, the chapter reframes parental resilience as both a personal strength and a societal responsibility, essential for promoting well-being and inclusion in families of children with intellectual disabilities.

This study investigated the causes of incorrect judgments in a motor task and examined differences between students with varying levels of judgment accuracy. Twenty-two seventh graders participated. Based on their estimated and actual scores in two volleyball serve trials, students were categorized into two groups: “low accuracy” and “high accuracy”. Before each trial, they estimated their scores according to the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance test. Following the trials, students were interviewed about their justifications and their confidence in the accuracy of their judgments. Independent sample t-tests indicated that both “low accuracy” and “high accuracy” students appeared to use metacognitive skills (t(20) = 0.82, p > 0.05). However, the “low accuracy” group lacked the declarative and procedural knowledge (t(20) = 4.59, p < 0.001) necessary for accurately evaluating their performance. Findings suggest that students focused more on outcome-based rather than process-based assessments when evaluating their performance. Enhancing students’ access to both theoretical and experience-based cues in sports may improve their ability to accurately judge their performances and foster greater confidence in lifelong participation in physical activities.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between resilience and the coping problems process in volleyball athletes. It is important for coaches and athletes to understand in depth the mechanisms underlying resilience, the effect of problem-solving strategies and the impact of these factors on the development of athletic performance. Methods: Participants included in the study were 52 volleyball players (male and female) across all national divisions in Greece, with the STARS (State – Trait Assessment of Resilience Scale, GR version) and the Problems Experienced Inventory (COPE, Greek version) used as evaluation instruments. A key requirement for participation in the study was that the participants must be over 14 years old and active athletes. The statistical analyzed with the statistical package SPSS IBM Statistics 27.0., using Pearson’s r, Cronbach’s’ α, and one-way ANOVA test with Bonferroni adjustments for independent samples. Results: No statistically significant differences were observed between the two genders of the participating athletes for resilience or for the coping problem strategies. Additionally, adding as a variable the training experience of participants, statistically significant differences were observed when the athletes had training experience of 8 years or more compared to athletes with less experience. Conclusion: It seems that years of training experience is a critical point for the formation of a mentally resilient profile as well as for the improvement of the ability to develop a strategic plan to address problems for volleyball players. Additionally, it seems that the factor that remained unaffected by the coaching process was the active problem-solving approach, which seems to be influenced by athletes’ personality already developed in the earlier years of their life. Future studies should investigate further these relationships between resilience and coping strategies using more participants and/or from other sport etc., or distinguish between individual and team sports. Key words: volleyball players, resilience, coping with problems, problem solving strategies

Angelman Syndrome (AS) is a rare neurogenetic disorder caused by a mutation or deletion of the UBE3A gene on chromosome 15, affecting the brain's development and function. Neurocognitively, individuals with AS often exhibit significant developmental delays, with limited cognitive abilities, impaired motor coordination (ataxia), and epilepsy being common. While cognitive impairment is a hallmark of the syndrome, memory and problem-solving abilities are also significantly affected. Linguistically, AS is characterized by profound speech impairments, with most individuals developing little to no functional speech. Early diagnosis, often through genetic testing, is crucial for the implementation of early intervention programs that focus on speech therapy, physical therapy, and behavioral management. Specialized interventions that address motor deficits, language development, and behavioral concerns can enhance cognitive and social functioning, although the overall prognosis remains one of lifelong disability.

The aim of this literature review was to provide a comprehensive overview of these strategies and evaluate their effectiveness in promoting mental wellness. Utilizing a systematic literature review as primary method, this study examined peer-reviewed articles, clinical studies, and meta-analyses published over the past decade. It focused on identifying practices that support neurodiversity, such as tailored therapy modalities, inclusive educational practices, and workplace accommodations, alongside general mental health management strategies like mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and community support initiatives. The results revealed that approaches which honor the individual's neurodiversity while addressing their mental health needs lead to improved outcomes, including enhanced self-esteem, better social integration, and increased productivity. Specifically, personalized interventions that consider the unique perspectives and needs of neurodiverse individuals were found to be more effective than traditional, one-size-fits-all approaches.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between resilience levels and anxiety of volleyball players and to find possible differences that exist between the two genders. Participants included 195 volleyball players (37 male and 158 female), with the Self Evaluation Resilience test and the CSAI-2 test (Greek version) used as evaluation instruments. The data was analysed with SPSS 21.0 using Pearson’s r and t-test for independent samples. Results of Pearson’s r test showed positive intercorrelations between all the resilience variables and between resilience and self-confidence. The t-test showed statistically significant differences between male and female volleyball players in “forming relationships” and “self-efficacy” variables, with no other statistically significant differences observed for the rest of the resilience variables. Additionally, statistically significant differences were observed for “cognitive”, “somatic” anxiety and “self-confidence” between the two genders of volleyball players. Future research should further investigate the relationship between resilience and self-confidence and how it affects the resilience level of volleyball players.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of coach leadership style on resilience level of volleyball players and to trace possible differences that exist between the two genders. Participants included 101 volleyball players (53 females and 48 males) and 31 coaches (11 females and 20 males), with the Self Evaluation Resilience test and the Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS) used as instruments. The data was analyzed with SPSS 21.0 using t-test for independent samples, and simple regression (stepwise) analysis. Results of t-test showed statistically significant differences between male and female volleyball players in ‘‘orientation on solution and aims’’ and ‘‘self-efficacy’’ variables, with no other statistically significant differences observed for the rest resilience variables. Additionally, no statistically significant differences were observed for the LSS variables between the two genders of volleyball coaches. The results of simple regression (stepwise) analysis suggest that the autocratic behavior of volleyball coach has a significant impact on volleyball players’ resilience. Future research should investigate whether variables such as anxiety affect the resilience level of volleyball players.

SUMMARY The objective of this study was to investigate the difference in resilience level of high-level volleyball players. Ninety-eight volleyball players (National team players U21, Pre-League and Second Division A2 teams’ players) participated to the study (fifty females and forty-eight males). The Self Evaluation Resilience test was used for the study. The data were analyzed with SPSS 21.0 using t-test for independent samples, and one-way ANOVA with post hoc Bonferroni adjustment test. Results showed statistically significant differences between the males and females volleyball players in variables ‘‘orientation on solution and aims’’’ and ‘‘self-efficacy’’. Additionally, statistically significant differences were observed in the variables ‘‘orientation on solution and aims’’, ‘‘healthy lifestyle’’ and ‘‘self-efficacy’’ according to players team category. Future research should investigate if the behavior of the coach in the team, or the team category affects the resilience level of the players

The objective of this study was to investigate the resilience of youth high level volleyball players. Forty-eight volleyball national team players U16 from Greece and Romania participated to the study (18 females and 30 males). The Self Evaluation Resilience test was used for the study. The data were analyzed with SPSS 21.0 using one-way ANOVA with post hoc Bonferroni adjustment test. Results showed statistically significant differences between the males and females national team volleyball players in variables ‘‘healthy lifestyle’’ and ‘‘self-efficacy’’. It was concluded that coaches and volleyball players should recognize that female’s volleyball players focused more in healthy life style and having less self-efficacy comparing to same aged male’s volleyball players.

Background: Cancer diagnosis and therapy imposes a great deal o f stress on patients. Psychological interventions and physical activity may reduce depr ession and help cancer patients to develop stress c oping mechanisms. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine t he effect of exercise program and a group psychotherapy program on the general health of canc er patients. Methodology: The sample consisted of 39 cancer patients (10 male s and 29 females), assigned randomly in three groups of 13 patients each group, that is, a control, an exercise and a psychotherapy group. The pati nts of the psychotherapy group received a 10 weeks’ suppor tive–expressive group therapy, at a frequency of on e time per week, of 90 minutes each meeting. The duration of the training program for the individuals of the physical activity (PA) group was 10 weeks at a frequency of two sessions per week, 60 minutes each session. The GHQ28 questionnaire was administered to examine the ge n ral health status of the participants. The binary scoring (0/1) was applied, with any score above 4 indicatin g the presence of “caseness”, i.e. strong possibili ty of psychiatric morbidity. Results: A statistically significant difference was observed in the PA group, where the “no cases” category was raised to 11 cases at post – intervention level in comparison with the 6 cases before intervention (3 8% increase, from 46% to 84%), p=0.031. In the same group and in the anxiety/insomnia subscale, 6 vs 8 persons were classified as “asymptomatic” before and after inter vention respectively. Conclusions: Physical activity exerts a favorable effect on psyc hiatric morbidity of cancer patients, especially in the field of anxiety and insomnia, while psychol ogical intervention had a negligible effect. Screen ing cancer patients for insomnia and anxiety may be helpful to determine treatment intervention programs tailored to their needs

The year 2020 will be remembered by athletes and especially by all volleyball people as the arrival year of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 and the Covid-19 pandemic that followed. As we already observe every day, Covid-19 has affected and still affects almost everyone and every part of society as well as sports. The pandemic and the undertaken actions in order to deal with the pandemic caused serious upheavals in the sports structure in team sports as in volleyball tooand made very visiblepre-existing systemic weaknesses.While in many parts of the world, initially the situation seemed to improve as governments, organizations and groups found and implemented increasingly effective strategies however the second wave of the pandemic found the European Confederations of team sports and the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball (CEV) unprepared to face a bleak reality. The challenges are many, more and more volleyball players, coaches’, stakeholders are getting sick from the virus, and games or championships are being canceled and the implications for policy are briefly discussed. Keywords: pandemic covid-19, teams sports, volleyball.

In the past 30 years, there has been extended research on athletes’ career development toward a promising dual career. Present research was focused on the description of the legal and educational framework about dual career athletes in Greece, as well as on identifying the obstacles, needs and challenges of elite young and former athletes, and stakeholders in the development of their dual careers. A survey was conducted on a total of eighty-four athletes and stakeholders residents of northern, southern, and central sport destinations of Greece. Young athletes, former athletes and stakeholders completed three different questionnaires. Demographics, attitudes, preferences and actual experiences about their athletic life and career were recorded in parallel with their educational life and professional career. Data analysis supported that elite athletes in Greece neither seemed to follow a common model proposed by the state or national policy nor seemed to be supported by national legislation leading to dual-career practices. It was remarkable that sport stakeholders in Greece indicated that dual-career program remained at an early stage and more effort from all participants was required. A SWOT analysis pointed out strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the dual-career status in Greece. Results focused on the lack of support by the government, sports institutions, educational and market structures to link all forces successfully for a sustainable dual career program. Comparing to European sport system and strategies, the study revealed similar weaknesses and mainly the absence of an official national legislation.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between resilience and the perceived importance of the match outcome of volleyball players according to gender and team category. Participants were 78 males and females volleyball players from high level Greek volleyball categories (B‟ category, PreLeague, 1st League). The Self Evaluation Resilience test, and the importance-crucial match evaluation questions was used for the study. Data were analyzed with SPSS 23.0 using one-way ANOVA with post hoc Bonferroni adjustment test. Results showed statistically significant differences between the males and females volleyball players in variable „„forming relationships‟‟ in favor of females volleyball players. Statistically significant differences were observed too with reference to team players category between B‟ category and Pre-league and B‟ category and 1st League volleyball players in variable „„importance-crucial of match‟‟ in favor of the players from higher level. It emerged that coaches and volleyball players should recognize that female‟s volleyball players focused more in forming relationships and volleyball players from higher level players pay notice more the importance and the crucial of the match comparing to lower category team volleyball players. Additionally, the results of the study are briefly discussed. Keywords: Volleyball players, resilience, match importance, team category Training load should be increased in step form.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients differ with healthy populations in quality of life parameters, physical activity participation and health behaviors. However, no research has been conducted yet comparing such differences, outlining an overall profile. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the profile of Greek MS patients with healthy individuals, as regards to the quality of life, physical activity involvement, adoption of health behaviors, and levels of depression and anxiety. The sample consisted of 26 MS patients and 90 healthy individuals overall 116 participants. Instruments used included the GLTE Questionnaire, habitual physical activity questionnaire, the SF 36, the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Baecke and the Nutritional Behaviors questionnaire. T-test for independent variables was used to locate differences between individuals with or without MS and according to gender. Significance level was set at p <.05. The results showed MS patients as choosing light physical activity (PA) levels compared to healthy participants choosing moderate levels of PA. Healthy individuals also achieved higher scores in leisure time, sport and total physical activity index, exhibiting lower levels of anxiety and depression and better perceived quality of life compared to patients with MS. The profile of MS patients was associated with light PA, lower perceived quality of life, higher anxiety and depression as compared to healthy individuals. Future suggestions were made to examine application of exercise programs and their effect on psychological parameters of individuals with and without MS.

Psychological distress is a multidimensional concern affecting patients’ ability to cope with cancer, its physical symptoms, and treatments. This study examined the effect of an exercise program and a group psychotherapy program on the quality of life of Greek cancer patients. The sample consisted of 39 cancer patients (10 males and 29 females), assigned randomly in three groups of 13 patients each group, that is, a control, an exercise and a psychotherapy group. The duration of the training program for the individuals of the exercise group was 10 weeks at a frequency of two sessions per week, 60 minutes each session. The patients of the psychotherapy group received a 10 weeks’ supportive–expressive group therapy, at a frequency of one time per week, of 90 minutes each meeting. The quality of life SF-36 questionnaire was administered to examine the short-term effect of both programs prior and after intervention on quality of life. Control group individuals did not participate in any program and they just filled in the SF-36 questionnaire prior and after intervention. Improvement in “vitality” (p = .006) and mental health subscale (p = .011) was statistically significant between pre and post measures in the supportive therapy group. All other domains exhibit no significant changes. In the exercise group, physical functioning, role functioning and emotional role values were also improved but not to the point to generate statistically significant results. The findings of the present study support the positive impact of psychotherapy intervention on vitality and mental health component of patients with cancer, followed in less extent by the beneficial effect of the exercise program.

Psychological distress is a multidimensional concern affecting patients’ ability to cope with cancer, its physical symptoms, and treatments. This study examined the effect of an exercise program and a group psychotherapy program on the quality of life of Greek cancer patients. The sample consisted of 39 cancer patients (10 males and 29 females), assigned randomly in three groups of 13 patients each group, that is, a control, an exercise and a psychotherapy group. The duration of the training program for the individuals of the exercise group was 10 weeks at a frequency of two sessions per week, 60 minutes each session. The patients of the psychotherapy group received a 10 weeks’ supportive-expressive group therapy, at a frequency of one time per week, of 90 minutes each meeting. The quality of life SF-36 questionnaire was administered to examine the short-term effect of both programs prior and after intervention on quality of life. Control group individuals did not participate in any program and they just filled in the SF-36 questionnaire prior and after intervention. Improvement in “vitality” (p = 0.006) and mental health subscale (p = 0.011) was statistically significant between pre and post measures in the supportive therapy group. All other domains exhibit no significant changes. In the exercise group, physical functioning, role functioning and emotional role values were also improved but not to the point to generate statistically significant results. The findings of the present study support the positive impact of psychotherapy intervention on vitality and mental health component of patients with cancer, followed in less extent by the beneficial effect of the exercise program.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of exercise program and a group psychotherapy program on mood profile of Greek cancer patients as well as to make the necessary comparisons.

Purpose - The purpose of the study was to develop a reliable measurement tool for the evaluation of TQM application in Greek education settings and to examine the factors that determine quality of education. Research design, data, and methodology - A questionnaire commencing from the questions included in the Application Guide of Common Assessment Framework was used for research purposes. Each item was scored on a 5point Likert scale - to a sample of 112 educators (55 men, 57 women), all teachers working in public primary education schools. Factor analysis resulted in a questionnaire of 43 items consisting of five factors, teacher satisfaction, school management and operation, motivation, effectiveness of public school leadership and finance management. Results - Results revealed a positive correlation among all factors. Reliability results using Cronbach's α was high (a=.961) for all factors of the questionnaire ranging from α=.930 (for motivation) to α=.797 (for financial management). Additionally, ICC procedure revealed high values for the above mentioned factors. Conclusions - The study resulted in the construction of a reliable questionnaire focused exclusively on TQM that can be used in future studies using larger samples in different areas so as to draw useful conclusions regarding TQM application in Greek education settings and further identify the factors determining quality in education.

Children’s diet, especially during preschool ages when healthy diet habits are being built depends a lot on parental as well as local community dietary habits. The purpose of this study was to examine the dietary habits of preschool children and the commitment to Mediterranean Diet according to their mothers’ perceptions. The sample consisted of 302 preschool age children (153 boys and 149 girls, 3-5 years old). Height, weight were measured and Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated for all children. Dietary intake based on mothers’ perceptions was evaluated with food frequency questionnaire (Fisk et al., 2011), whereas adoption of Mediterranean diet was assessed using KIDMED questionnaire (Serra-Majem et al., 2004). Results showed that the prevalence of overweight and obesity were 9.6% and 1.7% respectively, with the obese children replacing meals with fast food. Children’s diet was characterized by high intake of fruits, cereals and white bread, dairy, poultry and fish and low intake of vegetables, sweets, crisps and processed meats. In conclusion, 54.5% of children seemed to adopt Mediterranean diet with increased frequency of consumption of breakfast meals that leads to better quality food. A significant association of maternal BMI with the BMI of children showed that the dietary habits of mothers 'pass' to children, whereas factors shown to significantly affect food choices were the income of parents and the age of children.