Cohesion is a multidimensional construct that concerns group members' perceptions of unity relative to task objectives and interpersonal relationships. The importance of cohesion in sport may be inferred through associations with key individual and group-oriented correlates. Coaches are critical toward developing cohesion as their behaviors influence group dynamics, and those who act with humility may be influential by accepting feedback, appreciating others' abilities, and maintaining an accurate self-view. Coaches' expressions of humility may also be associated with their team's expression of this characteristic (i.e., collective humility). The present study aimed to determine if athletes' perceptions of coach humility indirectly related to team cohesion through collective humility. Team sport athletes' (N = 259; 126 women; M-age = 17.52) perceptions were obtained at two points in their competitive season. A path analysis was conducted to examine the indirect association between coach humility and cohesion (i.e., task and social) through collective humility. The hypothesis was supported as the results indicated that coach humility was indirectly associated with both task (beta = .20, SE = .12, p < .001, 95% CI [.18, .65]) and social cohesion (beta = .13, SE = .08, p < .001, 95% CI [.12, .47]) via collective humility. These results suggest that coach and collective humility were salient perceptions relative to athletes' perceptions of team cohesion. Overall, the current study provides preliminary evidence of the potential importance of expressed coach humility within sport.

Despite trust being associated with a range of favorable outcomes across high-performing team contexts (e.g., enhanced satisfaction, performance), efforts to investigate the meaning of trust in sport remain limited. The purpose of this study was to explore (a) how athletes experience trust, (b) why it is needed within sport teams (e.g., beneficial outcomes), and (c) the mechanisms of trust development. Canadian U Sports athletes (N = 13) were recruited to participate in individual semistructured interviews, which were analyzed using a critical realist approach to reflexive thematic analysis. Athletes positioned vulnerability as an important consideration for trust, which was influenced by precursors (i.e., motive and risk) and facilitators (i.e., one’s willingness to trust, perceptions of trustworthiness, and environmental affordances). Based on the outcome of trusting another person (i.e., individual- and team-level benefits or drawbacks), the relationship was either reinforced or undermined. Both theoretical and practical advancements to the field are provided.

An ever-present variable across levels of sport participation is outcome interdependence. The ways in which team members depend on each other, however, are not well-understood in sport teams. We revisit the conceptualization of outcome interdependence by arguing that the current theoretical foundations (Social Interdependence Theory and Interdependence Theory) lack the context needed to better understand sport team dynamics. To help alleviate the issue, we propose a conceptual model for future sport team research. Our description of the conceptual model contributes to a sport team-specific understanding of interdependence by emphasizing that: (a) the explicit structure of sports and sport teams form outcome interdependence; (b) unique multi-level motives control the dense web of outcome interdependence; (c) outcome interdependence is often dictated by third-party decisions; and (d) the recursive nature of the sport team environment promotes the evolution of outcome interdependence. We identify goal-related outcome interdependence as a future research direction by specifying (a) the integration of our conceptual model with goal interdependence theorizing, (b) the development of measurement tools, and (c) an appropriate method for studying goal interdependence. By refining the approach to outcome interdependence in sport teams, researchers will better understand a foundational element of sport team dynamics.

Cohesion, or the unity of a group, has received substantial attention in popular media and from researchers across several contexts. Over the past 40 years, researchers interested in understanding and investigating cohesion in sport have relied predominantly on the work of Carron and colleagues (1985) who outlined their conceptual foundation for the construct and developed the Group Environment Questionnaire. Although their conceptual framework and measurement tool have been useful to gain an understanding of relationships between cohesion and its potential antecedents and outcomes, a closer inspection of its theoretical bases and concomitant definitions provides an opportunity for improved theorizing. In the present review, we revisit the work of Carron and colleagues (1985), the construct of cohesion itself, the state of the literature, and apply a critical eye toward the role that cohesion plays in contributing to a group's dynamics and functioning within sport. In doing so, we identify several concerns with the current state of knowledge regarding cohesion and offer a series of propositions to define, conceptualize (two-dimensional model of cohesion consisting of task and social integration), and more effectively link key inputs contributing to the unity of the group (i.e., interdependence, social identity, teamwork). We believe that there is a pressing need to (re)conceptualize the construct and have proposed a theoretical model for cohesion, as well as a future research agenda, that we hope will reinvigorate research on cohesion in sport and beyond.

Objective: Despite the usefulness of social norms for changing behaviour, injunctive norms (i.e., perceptions of what others approve) from significant others tend to be a weak predictor of physical activity (PA) engagement. A potential explanation is that injunctive norms encompass pressuring social influence that undermines autonomous PA engagement. This study examined whether injunctive norms from significant others undermine individuals' autonomy satisfaction during the pursuit of PA engagement, and whether this effect is moderated by the degree to which significant others offer concurrent autonomy support. Design: Online questionnaires. Measures: Participants' perceptions of injunctive norms and autonomy support from significant others, autonomy satisfaction, behaviour regulation, PA intentions, and weekly PA frequency were assessed at baseline (N = 497) and after two weeks (N = 351). Results: Autonomy support positively related to autonomy satisfaction, whereas injunctive norms were negatively related to autonomy satisfaction. Though the statistical significance of interaction effects was inconsistent across results, simple slopes suggested that the negative relationship between injunctive norms and autonomy satisfaction was attenuated at higher levels of autonomy support in models focusing on influence from parents and friends. Conclusion: When promoting others' PA, communicating direct social expectations/pressures may be ineffective.

The purpose of the present study was to use qualitative methods to explore parent and coach perspectives on the influence of parents on the group dynamics within youth interdependent sport teams. Specifically, two research questions were addressed: (a) What are the group dynamics constructs perceived as vulnerable to parent influence? and (b) Through what processes might parents be perceived to influence the group dynamics of a sport team? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 parents, 13 coaches, and 7 parent-coaches from across Canada with experiences in seven interdependent sports (e.g., basketball, ringette). Codebook thematic analysis was used to engage with participant responses (King, 2012). Results were divided into three topic summaries: (1) parent influence on youth group dynamics, (2) pathways of parent influence, and (3) strategies to manage parental influence. Findings suggest that a team’s environment, structure, emergent states, and processes are all vulnerable to parent influence in both positive and negative ways. Additionally, 19 parent behaviors were identified by participants as influencing group dynamics and were split into four broad pathways (i.e., public behaviors, through athletes, through coaches, through parents). The third category related to strategies (e.g., coach communication, organization policies) for working with sport parents to promote positive parent involvement, and deter negative parent interference, with youth sport teams. By merging group dynamics and sport parenting research, the present study offers a new perspective to the sport parenting literature and demonstrates the need to examine parent influence in youth sport beyond individual and dyadic concerns.

Objectives To compare injunctive norm scores assessed based on Ajzen’s (2002) original normative referent elicitation method (e.g., norms from those who approve/disapprove of physical activity) and a revised method (e.g., norms from those who are personally influential). Methods Undergraduate students (NT1 = 1008, NT2 = 383) were initially randomly assigned to either the condition that used Ajzen’s original method or the condition that used the revised method, and completed an online survey. A month later, participants completed the survey in the reverse condition. Data collection occurred October 2021-July 2022. Data were analyzed to examine the differences between the two conditions regarding the mean injunctive norm scores and their indirect effects on physical activity via intentions (i.e., moderated mediation). Results Mixed ANOVA results indicated a statistically significant effect of condition (p < .001): the injunctive norm score assessed based on the revised method was lower compared to the original method. After accounting for baseline physical activity, a statistically significant moderated mediation was found with intention strength as the mediator (95% bootstrap CIs [.02, .20]): there was a statistically significant indirect effect of injunctive norms on physical activity via intention strength under the revised condition, but this effect was statistically nonsignificant under the original condition. There was no statistically significant moderated mediation with decisional intention as the mediator (95% bootstrap CIs [-.04, .13]). Conclusions Null findings regarding the relationship between injunctive norms and physical activity intentions typically found in the literature may be partially explained by the way in which norms were measured.

Though interdependent teams have received the most empirical attention in sport group dynamics research, scholars have also asserted the need to consider the dynamics of individual sport teams (e.g., wrestling, swimming). Indeed, athletes participating in prototypical individual sports have a group identity, and their experiences are significantly influenced by others who share the same group identity. The present study explored the antecedents and outcomes of roles-a structural element that identifies members' responsibilities in their group-in individual sport teams. Data were gathered by conducting individual interviews with 19 former and current athletes (nine males and 10 females; M-age = 20.5 years) and were analyzed using codebook thematic analysis. Results indicated that leadership roles such as captainship, informal leadership, and mentorship were critical. Some athletes discussed that they were assigned captainship because of their informal leadership behaviors and believed that this led to the creation of unnecessary hierarchies. Various other roles were identified, including team comedians, social conveners, spark plugs, encouragers, team mediators, and negative informal roles, all of which were perceived to influence the group environment. Additionally, role dynamics were influenced by several group-related aspects that were unique in individual sports, such as the lack of positional competitions and the formation of subgroups based on competition events. These findings fill a gap in the literature by highlighting the relevance of roles in individual sport teams and provide a foundation for researchers to further explore the nature of role dynamics and identify related strategies to optimize individual sport environments.

The effects of having new individuals join a team introduce competitive and cooperative actions that are challenging to groups. Employing socialization tactics that provide tailored role information and cultivate opportunities for social connection is positively related to perceptions of cohesion. However, the socialization process likely relies on the specific actions undertaken by members of the group on their own behalf (i.e., proactivity behaviors). The purpose of the present study was to examine how individual proactive behaviors interact with the group's socialization tactics to predict group cohesion. Athletes' (N= 398) responses to surveys were analyzed via polynomial regressions and response surface analyses to examine the independent and interactive effects of the predictor variables on cohesion. The results pointed to the importance of employing socialization tactics that can work in tandem with proactive behaviors, such that both approaches contributed uniquely to the integration of new and existing members on sport teams.

Previous research highlighted gaps between socio-cognitive factors (e.g., intentions, social norms) and physical activity (PA) participation. Recently, researchers have asserted that considering affective processes may help bridge this gap. Leveraging the affective-reflective theory of physical inactivity and exercise, this study examined whether individuals' attraction toward PA moderated the relationship between PA intentions and behaviors, and the relationship between social norms and PA intentions. Analysis of online survey data (NT1 = 582; NT2 = 327) provided evidence that social norms more strongly predicted PA intentions under conditions of lower attraction to PA. However, the results differed depending on how intentions were measured: Moderation was found for intention strength as the outcome, but no moderation was found for decisional intention as the outcome. The intentions-behavior relationship, despite nonsignificant interaction terms, showed patterns of positive moderation based on changes in simple slopes: Intentions more strongly predicted PA behavior at time 2 under conditions of higher attraction to PA. The findings align with recent theorizing that emphasizes the role of affect-related determinants when understanding and promoting PA. Practically, these results suggest that intervention strategies should differ according to the individuals' current levels of attraction toward PA.

Research exploring the benefits of Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) with youth is emerging and promising for the improvement of resiliencies. We developed an arts-based mindfulness intervention to make learning mindfulness accessible for children who had experienced trauma. Arts-based methods are engaging, enjoyable, and developmentally relevant. Previously, we found benefits of participating in this MBI for children aged 8 to 12 years. Herein we discuss research in which we explored the benefits of this MBI for adolescents who were experiencing challenges with schooling; 146 youth completed the program. Our research question asked whether the MBI was beneficial and/or effective for these youth and, if so, what were these benefits and how did these benefits assist youth to cope? Benefits were explored via reflexive thematic analysis (TA) of pre/post-intervention, and follow-up individual interviews with youth. Effectiveness was assessed by analyzing pre- and post-intervention scores on youth self-report inventories measuring mindfulness and resilience, as well as responses from caregiver assessments of behavior/coping. To assess if there were changes in responses across timeperiods, a series of repeated measures ANOVA were employed. Quantitative findings were mixed in that the youths' self-report scores measuring resilience showed limited improvement while mindfulness showed no significant change. However, parents' perceptions regarding their child's behaviors indicated significant improvements in social competence and both internalizing/externalizing behaviors. Similarly, the thematic analysis suggested improvements in youths' self-awareness, self-judgment, thinking, mood, ability to make choices, social skills, coping, and emotion regulation. The results are promising and warrant further investigation of arts-based approaches to facilitating mindfulness with youth.