Search Results (267)

Concurrent cognitive tasks, such as avoiding visual, auditory, chemical, and electrical hazards, and concurrent motor tasks, such as load carriage, are prevalent in ergonomic settings. Trips are extremely common in the workplace, leading to fatal and non-fatal fall-related injuries. Intrinsic factors, such as attention, fatigue, and anticipation, as well as extrinsic factors, including tasks at hand, affect trip recovery responses. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the ankle joint kinematics in unexpected and expected trip responses during single-tasking (ST), dual-tasking (DT), and triple-tasking (TT), before and after a physically fatiguing protocol among young, healthy adults. Methods: Twenty volunteers’ (10 females, one left leg dominant, age 20.35 ± 1.04 years, height 174.83 ± 9.03 cm, mass 73.88 ± 15.55 kg) ankle joint kinematics were assessed using 3D motion capture system during unperturbed gait (NG), unexpected trip (UT), and expected trip (ET), during single-tasking (ST), cognitive dual-tasking (CDT), motor dual-tasking (MDT), and triple-tasking (TT), under both PRE and POST fatigue conditions. Results: Greater dorsiflexion angles were observed during UT compared to NG, MDT compared to ST, and TT compared to ST. Significantly greater plantar flexion angles were observed during ET compared to NG and during POST compared to PRE. Conclusions: Greater dorsiflexion angles during dual- and triple-tasking suggest that divided attention affects trip recovery. Greater plantar flexion angles following fatigue are likely an anticipatory mechanism due to altered muscle activity and increased postural control demands. Full article

Participation in organized sport is widely encouraged for youth development, yet positive outcomes are not guaranteed. Parents play a pivotal role in shaping young athletes’ experiences, requiring emotional support, interpersonal skills, and self-regulation. This study examines the meanings parents attribute to their children’s sports participation and how young athletes construct their experiences under parental and coaching influences. An interpretive phenomenological methodology involved semi-structured interviews with coaches, focus groups with parents, and open-ended questionnaires to young athletes. Seventeen players (M = 11.2 years, SD = 0.59), nineteen parents (M = 47.6 years, SD = 3.61), and two coaches from the same football club volunteered to participate in the study. Participants were selected through purposive sampling to ensure a homogeneous experience. The findings reveal that parental involvement balances support and pressure, while trust-building between parents and coaches significantly impacts the athletes’ experiences. The evolving role of technology and the importance of social dynamics within teams also emerged as critical factors. Intrinsic motivation, fostering emotional bonding through the sport, and adopting a developmental rather than purely competitive framework were emphasized factors identified as supporting positive youth sport experiences. These findings offer insights into how interconnected relationships among parents, coaches, and athletes influence children’s sports engagement and development. Full article

Virtual reality (VR) can enrich neuropsychological testing, yet the ergonomic trade-offs of its input modes remain under-examined. Seventy-seven healthy volunteers—young (19–29 y) and middle-aged (35–56 y)—completed a VR Trail Making Test with three pointing methods: eye-tracking, head-gaze, and a six-degree-of-freedom hand controller. Completion time, spatial accuracy, and error counts for the simple (Trail A) and alternating (Trail B) sequences were analysed in 3 × 2 × 2 mixed-model ANOVAs; post-trial scales captured usability (SUS), user experience (UEQ-S), and acceptability. Age dominated behaviour: younger adults were reliably faster, more precise, and less error-prone. Against this backdrop, input modality mattered. Eye-tracking yielded the best spatial accuracy and shortened Trail A time relative to manual control; head-gaze matched eye-tracking on Trail A speed and became the quickest, least error-prone option on Trail B. Controllers lagged on every metric. Subjective ratings were high across the board, with only a small usability dip in middle-aged low-gamers. Overall, gaze-based ray-casting clearly outperformed manual pointing, but optimal choice depended on task demands: eye-tracking maximised spatial precision, whereas head-gaze offered calibration-free enhanced speed and error-avoidance under heavier cognitive load. TMT-VR appears to be accurate, engaging, and ergonomically adaptable assessment, yet it requires age-specific–stratified norms. Full article

Background: Today, young people face a variety of social, environmental and psychological challenges, making them more vulnerable to developing mental health issues. Worldwide 15% of adolescents experience poor mental health, with the majority not seeking help or receiving care. Therefore, it is critical that youth mental health services become more youth-friendly to encourage help-seeking. This study examines a new pilot volunteer model of care introduced into a youth mental health service in Melbourne, Australia. The aim of the study is to explore staff perspectives of the volunteer model. Methods: A qualitative research design was undertaken using semi-structured one-on-one interviews. Eight staff participated. Data was thematically analysed using an inductive approach. Results: Two main themes, ‘promoting service use’ and ‘implementation to practice’, were generated, along with sub-themes. The themes highlight benefits to staff such as reductions in workload and benefits to volunteers through the gaining of experience and knowledge. However, there was a need to support volunteers through greater training and supervision. Conclusions: Volunteers in youth mental health services can create a welcoming environment which enhances access and engagement for young people seeking help. Volunteers in a youth mental health setting can enhance accessibility, reducing staff workload and fostering meaningful engagement. Full article

Open habitats in forests perform several important functions. In addition to enriching biodiversity, they have an impact on the diversification of the forest landscape, and through complex processes and trophic relationships, they provide greater sustainability in forest communities. It turns out that they are also important not only for the functioning of nature, but also due to their regenerative properties, through which people can improve their well-being and recover their mental balance. The purpose of this study was to determine whether and to what extent mid-forest open dunes and wetlands are able to provide people with feelings of relaxation and mental renewal. The study was conducted in June 2024 in one of the forest complexes located in the suburban zone of Warsaw. The experiment was conducted with the participation of 52 young adult volunteers. The experiment used a pre–posttest method. The subjects’ mood and well-being were determined using four psychological questionnaires: the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), Restorative Outcome Scale (ROS), Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS), and Profile of Mood States (POMSs). The key findings from the research conducted are as follows: compared to the control sample (before entering the forest), exposure to all three variants of greenery had a restorative effect on the experimental participants; the water environment had the most favorable effect compared to the control sample (before entering the forest); and exposure to this environment provided the greatest increase in positive feelings and the greatest decrease in negative feelings. Research has shown that areas important for preserving forest biodiversity are also important for humans because of their high restorative properties. Preserving non-forest enclaves in forests and promoting their regenerative values for humans can be one nature-based solution to improve people’s health and well-being, especially for people living in urban areas. Full article

This article examines the intersecting forces of gender, class, and education in early twentieth-century Britain through a feminist reading of Pip Williams’ historical novel The Bookbinder of Jericho. Centering on the fictional character Peggy Jones—a working-class young woman employed in the Oxford University Press bindery—the study explores how women’s intellectual ambitions were constrained by economic hardship, institutional gatekeeping, and patriarchal social norms. By integrating close literary analysis with historical research on women bookbinders, educational reform, and the impact of World War I, the paper reveals how the novel functions as both a narrative of personal development and a broader critique of systemic exclusion. Drawing on the genre of the female Bildungsroman, the article argues that Peggy’s journey—from bindery worker to aspiring scholar—mirrors the real struggles of working-class women who sought education and recognition in a male-dominated society. It also highlights the significance of female solidarity, especially among those who served as volunteers, caregivers, and community organizers during wartime. Through the symbolic geography of Oxford and its working-class district of Jericho, the novel foregrounds the spatial and social divides that shaped women’s lives and labor. Ultimately, this study shows how The Bookbinder of Jericho offers not only a fictional portrait of one woman’s aspirations but also a feminist intervention that recovers and reinterprets the overlooked histories of British women workers. The novel becomes a literary space for reclaiming agency, articulating resistance, and criticizing the gendered boundaries of knowledge, work, and belonging. Full article

Background: In addition to the well-known vitamin D metabolites 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)₂D, the catabolite 24,25(OH)₂D may also reflect vitamin D status and influence biological and skeletal processes. However, the effects of UVR-induced synthesis on 24,25(OH)₂D levels and the 25-VMR (24,25(OH)₂D3:25(OH)D3 ratio) remain unclear. Objectives: We aimed to assess how a single standardised UVR dose influences the production of 25(OH)D3, 24,25(OH)₂D3, 1,25(OH)₂D3 and 25-VMR, with a comparison between younger and older adults being conducted to explore potential age-related differences in vitamin D metabolism. Methods: A total of 11 young (18–40 years; 7M, 4F) and 10 older (65–89 years; 6M, 4F) skin type I-III volunteers received a single sub-erythemal dose of solar simulated UVR (SSR) (95% UVA: 320–400 nm, 5% UVB: 290–320 nm, 1.3 standard erythemal dose) during winter time in the UK (vitamin D trough season), exposing approximately 35% of the body surface area. The Blood was assayed for 25(OH)D3, 24,25(OH)₂D3 and 1,25(OH)₂D3 using LC-MS/MS at baseline, 24 h and 7 days following UVR exposure. Results: There was a significant increase in 25(OH)D3 from baseline (44 ± 22 nmoL/L) to 24 h post-UVR (48 ± 22 nmoL/L) in the combined age group (p = 0.044), but no significant differences were found in 24,25(OH)₂D3 in the combined group, or between young and older volunteers for both metabolites. 1,25(OH)₂D3 concentrations were higher in young groups (163 ± 60 pmoL/L) than in older (105 ± 38 pmoL/L) groups at 7 days post-UVR (p = 0.044). The 25-VMR decreased from baseline (9 ± 3) to 24 h post-UVR (7.5 ± 2.1) in the combined group (p = 0.003). Conclusions: Our data suggest that a single sub-erythemal UVR challenge does not influence 24,25(OH)₂D3 concentration in younger and older adults at 24 h and 7 days post-UVR and that the significant difference seen in the 25-VMR between baseline and 24 h post-UVR is due to the increase in 25(OH)D3 concentration post-UVR. This is in line with vitamin D oral supplementation studies, and indicates that low doses of UVR trigger the metabolic pathway, without affecting the catabolic pathway. Full article

Background: Lower limb motor output contributes to determining functional performance in many motor tasks. This study investigated the effects of non-invasive spinal cord transcutaneous stimulation (scTS) applied during an exercise-based priming protocol on lower limb muscle force and power generation. Methods: Twelve young, physically active male volunteers (age: 22.7 ± 2.1 years) participated in this randomized crossover, sham-controlled study. The maximal voluntary contraction and low-level torque steadiness of knee extensors, as well as the maximal explosive extension of lower limbs, were assessed before and after the priming protocol with scTS or sham stimulation over a total of four experimental sessions. Further, characteristics of evoked potentials to scTS related to spinal circuitry excitability were assessed in the supine position before and after the scTS priming protocol. The exercise component of the ~25 min priming protocol consisted of low-volume, low- and high-intensity lower limb motor tasks. Results: scTS priming protocol tended to increase or maintain maximum isometric torque during knee extension (4.7%) as well as peak force (0.2%) and rate of force development (6.0%) during explosive lower limb extensions, whereas sham priming protocol tended to decrease them (−4.3%, −3.3%, and −15.1%, respectively). This resulted in significant interactions (p = 0.001 to 0.018) and medium–large differences between scTS and sham protocols. These findings were associated with meaningful trends of some neurophysiological variables. Conversely, priming protocols did not affect low-level torque steadiness. Conclusions: scTS counteracted the unexpected fatigue induced by the exercise-based priming protocol, supporting lower limb performance during maximal efforts. Future studies are warranted to assess the implementation of scTS with optimized exercise-based priming protocols during training and rehabilitation programmes that include high-intensity neuromuscular efforts. Full article

Cisheteronormativities inform and distort what LGBTQ+ young people’s bodies can be and do, and what choices about the body are possible, profoundly impacting mental health. This article presents findings from a UK study examining ‘what works’ in early intervention mental health support for LGBTQ+ youth to examine how these impacts can be addressed. Data were collected across 12 mental health support services via the following: interviews with LGBTQ+ youth aged 12–25, service staff/volunteers, and parents/carers (n = 93); document review; and non-participant observation. In analysis, ‘Body’ was identified as a key principle underpinning effective early intervention mental health support. This article presents three key areas: the ability to name and define the body; the body’s ability to ‘do’; and the ability to make informed decisions about one’s body, life, and future. This article highlights the urgent importance of upholding bodily autonomy for LGBTQ+ youth if efforts to address mental health inequalities are to have any chance at success. Full article

This paper investigates the relationship between ball spin and linear speed in table tennis. This study uses a simple photodiode montage to introduce a methodology for measuring spin based on light reflection on the ball’s surface. Two optical-based measurement systems were developed to measure either the ball’s speed or spin. This paper describes sensor calibration and error estimation. Those systems measured ball kinetic parameters from nine young elite players (aged 15 ± 1.5 years) who volunteered to perform 4 exercises. Results showed a strong positive linear relationship between the ball’s speed and spin (r = 0.96, R² = 0.93, p < 0.001). The effect of exercise conditions on ball speed has been studied using a statistical test, ANOVA. Results showed a significant main effect of exercise conditions on ball speed (p < 0.05) with a very large effect size (η² = 0.82). The study revealed significant variations in linear speed based on the type of stroke (backhand, forehand) and the incoming ball’s spin (topspin, backspin), with topspin forehand strokes achieving higher speeds compared to backhand strokes. These findings provide valuable knowledge for players to enhance performance in a competitive environment. Full article

The motivational dimensions of volunteer tourists have been a focal point of scholarly debate, closely aligning with their prosocial orientations. Limited attention has been given to examining these relationships through the lens of identity formation among young tourists. To address this gap, this study conducted a two-wave longitudinal investigation into the linkage between volunteer tourists’ self-determined motivation and their prosocial orientation, with identity processing styles serving as a mediator. The sample (n = 291) consisted of freshmen and sophomores participating in a volunteer teaching program during the summer of 2024. We measured the variables of interest both before and after their attendance. In addition to direct effects, our findings observed two significant indirect pathways: (1) Wave 1 autonomous motivation was positively associated with an informational identity style at Wave 1, which predicted Wave 2 other-oriented helping tendency; and (2) Wave 1 controlled motivation was positively related to a normative identity style at Wave 1, which accounted for self-oriented helping propensity at Wave 2. Furthermore, the first relationship was uni-directional, as the coefficient for the reverse pathway (i.e., Wave 1 other-oriented helping → Wave 1 informational identity style → Wave 2 autonomous motivation) was not significant. In contrast, the second relationship was bi-directional, wherein Wave 1 self-oriented helping was positively associated with a normative identity style at Wave 1, which subsequently predicted Wave 2 controlled motivation. Taken together, our study contributes to the literature on altruistic motives, prosocial behavior, identity development, and volunteer tourism. Full article

We evaluated the force–velocity profiles of young male football players and examined the associations between their competitive levels and positional roles. Thirty-eight male players from a team registered with the National Football Federation who had an average age of 17.08 ± 0.94 y, a height of 1.77 ± 0.06 m and a body mass of 69.08 ± 7.02 kg volunteered to participate. Players performed countermovement jumps under loading conditions corresponding to 30, 50 and 70% of their body mass to assess their actual and optimal force–velocity profile variables. Results showed that 26% of players exhibited a high force deficit, 50% had a low force deficit, 3% had a low velocity deficit and 21% demonstrated a well-balanced force–velocity relationship. When comparing competitive levels, players in the 1st national division exhibited a more balanced force–velocity compared to players in the 2nd division (83.05 ± 20.34 vs. 62.94 ± 21.28%) but showed lower maximal power values (26.95 ± 4.17 vs. 31.54 ± 6.45 W/kg). Positional analysis revealed that forwards demonstrated a more balanced force–velocity than midfielders (84.64 ± 13.46 vs. 58.70 ± 21.31%), yet had lower maximal power values (25.11 ± 3.59 vs. 32.05 ± 5.57 W/kg). No differences were observed in vertical jump performance across either levels or positions. These findings underscore the variability in neuromuscular profiles among young players and highlight the importance of individualized strength training to address force–velocity deficits and enhance ballistic performance (particularly vertical jumping). Full article

Adolescence is a critical period for sociopolitical development, yet research has primarily focused on youth with explicit civic engagement, overlooking the role of community involvement in broader contexts. This mixed-methods study examines how adolescent community involvement—ranging from volunteering and advocacy to participation in sports, religious, and cultural activities—shapes sociopolitical control (SPC) in young adulthood. Using longitudinal quantitative survey data from 352 Canadian families, alongside qualitative interviews with 32 adult participants, we analyze how relationships with parents and peers mediate the link between community involvement and SPC. Regression analyses demonstrate that community involvement in high school predicts SPC at age 25, with parental support and positive peer relationships serving as significant mediators. Mediation analysis further reveals that relationships with mothers exert the strongest indirect effect on SPC, followed by relationships with fathers and peers. Qualitative findings highlight the mechanisms through which relational contexts foster or hinder SPC, illustrating that family values, peer norms, and early exposure to social issues shape long-term civic identity. These results underscore the importance of fostering relationally supportive environments that encourage diverse forms of adolescent community participation, contributing to both individual empowerment and broader democratic engagement. Full article

Support of parents with intellectual disabilities should be long-term and start as early as possible. They, however, often come only into view late. The aim of the present study was to examine the barriers and facilitators in reaching and supporting parents with intellectual disabilities and young children in the Netherlands. Fourteen professionals, three volunteers, and three mothers with intellectual disabilities participated in four focus groups. Results revealed four themes: (1) improve professional development, (2) mutual professional/parent distrust, (3) strengthen support network systems, and (4) improve child welfare system responses. Professionals and policymakers lack knowledge of parents with intellectual disabilities and skills to build trust and support them adequately. Professional development is warranted. The informal network and involvement of fathers is limited and, thus, could be increased. Finally, the way the system is organized impedes adequate support. Long-term involvement and, thus, a different use of resources is needed. Reaching parents with intellectual disabilities as early as possible is important but challenging due to multiple interacting factors. Integral actions at multiple levels are essential to improve preventive care for these parents. Full article

Background/Objectives: The inspiratory muscles play a fundamental role in cardiorespiratory performance, especially in water sports. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of an inspiratory muscle warm-up (IMW) protocol on the performance and respiratory parameters of scuba divers prior to performing two diving tests, one static and the other dynamic. Methods: Eight young, active divers (six men and two women; 26.63 ± 4.67 years of age) volunteered for the study. In two sessions, one using an IMW protocol and the other without IMW, participants performed two underwater tests with a gas tank: a static immersion at the bottom of the pool for 5 min and a dynamic test consisting of swimming underwater for 12 min at 1 m/s. Some cardiorespiratory parameters such as gas expenditure, oxygen saturation (SO₂), heart rate (HR), spirometry, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured before and after each of the tests. Results: Significant differences were observed in gas expenditure using IMW in both static and dynamic testing (p < 0.05) and in RPE in dynamic testing (p < 0.05). HR values were significantly higher in the pre-dynamic test with IMW and the post-static test with IMW. Finally, with the use of IMW, spirometry values were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in static tests after immersion, whereas in the dynamic test, they were significantly higher before the immersion (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, the use of the IMW prior to a dive would be recommended for better overall physical performance, oxygen expenditure, improved pulmonary function, and lower perceived exertion. Full article