Mood Profiling of International Athletes in Argentina

1. Mood Profiling of International Athletes in Argentina Dr. Patricia Wightman MD National Center of High Performance Athletics (CeNARD) Buenos Aires Argentina

2. Co-authors Dr. Peter Terry Centro Nacional de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo (CeNARD) Nellie Giscafre

3. Method

4. Sample • Total = 1,100 athletes from CENARD • Sex: male = 63.2%, female = 36.8% • Ages: range = 11-60 yr, M = 19.6 ± 5.3 yr. • Range of sports (N = 18) tennis = 224, basketball = 217, kayak = 148, rowing = 146, hockey = 90, handball = 57, fencing = 41, shooting = 36, volleyball = 30, sailing = 27, others = 84

5. Procedure • Spanish version of POMS used, based on Perez % Mari (1991) • 65 items, six subscales (tension, depression, anger, vigor, fatigue, confusion) • Past week response set used • Data collected over a 15-year period (1994-2009) • Data collected in consulting office, training venue or competition venue

6. Analyses • Comparison of mood responses by age, gender and type of sport • Tables of normative data specific to Argentine athletes • Comparison of Argentine norms with previous norms • Table for interpretation of mood profiles • Relationships between mood profiles and performance

7. Results

8. Table 1. Relationships between mood responses and age among Argentine international athletes (N = 1,100) N.S. = not significant

9. Table 2. MANOVA of POMS scores by gender among Argentine international athletes (N = 1,100) * p < .001, d = .24 Wilks’ = .97, p < .001, eta-squared = .03

10. Table 3. MANOVA of POMS scores by type of sport among Argentine international athletes (N = 1,100) * p < .001, d = .24 Wilks’ = .96, p < .001, eta-squared = .04

11. Summary • No relationship between mood responses and age • Male athletes report higher tension than female athletes • Team athletes report higher tension and fatigue than individual athletes

12. Figure 1. Mean POMS profile for Argentine international athletes (N = 1,100) plotted against athlete norms (N = 2,086; Terry & Lane, 2000) and student norms (N = 856; McNair et al, 1992)

13. Table 4. Comparison of POMS scores between Argentine international athletes and athlete norms (Terry & Lane, 2000) * p < .001

14. Summary • Argentine athletes typically report iceberg profiles compared to student norms (McNair et al., 1992) • Argentine athletes report higher tension, depression, anger, vigor and confusion, and lower fatigue than published athlete norms (Terry & Lane, 2000)

15. Mood and Performance The Double Iceberg

18. Athlete Screening Green, Amber and Red Light POMS

19. Table 5. Interpretation of POMS scores among Argentine international athletes Green = 0-50%; Amber = 51-95%; Red = 96-100%(Vig: Green = 51-100%; Amber = 5-50%; Red =0-4%)

20. Conclusions • Argentine norms differ from existing norms • Mood responses among Argentine international athletes vary by gender and type of sport but are unrelated to age • Mood profiles can be dichotomised into green, amber and red categories for screening purposes • Double iceberg profiles are associated with successful performance for many athletes

21. Thank you for your attentionGracias AASP