@2024 Afarand., IRAN

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ISSN: 2008-2630    Iranian Journal of War & Public Health 2018;10(2):53-59

Background
Despite the growing popularity of sports for athletes with physical disabilities and the growing popularity of Paralympic games, the effectiveness of psychological interventions in sports for the disabled is underestimated.
Previous Studies
... [1, 2]. Self-efficacy in athletes enables them to demonstrate their potential in sport fields by believing in their skills. ... [3, 4]. Sport self-confidence is also one of the personal factors that some researchers consider it to be the most important factor affecting exercise performance [5, 6]. ... [7, 8]. From various studies on the effectiveness of mental skills training on athletes with disabilities, it can be concluded that these skills can be learned using appropriate approaches. One of these approaches is Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). ... [9-16].
Aim(s)
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of training neuro-linguistic programming strategies on self-efficacy, self-confidence in sport and performance of disabled and veteran athletes.
Research type
This quasi-experimental study was carried out using pretest-posttest design and two experimental and control groups.
Research society, place and time
The statistical population of the study was all physically and mentally disabled athletes without any type of neurological and cognitive disabilities. The statistical sample included the members of two sitting volleyball teams called Foolad Tabriz and Shahrdari Tabriz in 2015-2016 with a range of 23-44 years old.
Sampling method and number
The sample consisted of 30 people who were selected through targeted sampling. The criteria for entering the research included: 1) no history of organized psychological intervention; 2) no neurological and cognitive disabilities; and regularly practice three sessions per week; 3) no history of admission to psychiatric hospitals or no history of long-term use of sedative medications, and the like.
Used devices&materials
The data collection tools were Schwarzer`s General Self-Efficacy Questionnaire [17, 18] and Willy's Sport Confidence Questionnaire [19]. In order to measure performance, two methods of assessing skill components [20] and mental performance evaluation [21] were used. After selecting the participants in the experimental and control groups, all participants were trained in sitting volleyball-specific skills including service shots, receiving, passing, defending and attacking for 24 sessions over a period of 2 months (three weeks 90 minutes each). After selecting the control and experiment group, a pre-test (completion of self-efficacy and sport self-confidence questionnaire and for performance evaluation, observation of the participants' performance in the two official games) was taken to ensure that there were no significant differences between the groups, so that in case of significant difference pre-test scores were considered as covariate. The experimental group was followed by organized interventions (NLP). The training and practice of NLP skills were performed in 18 sessions of 30 minutes for 8 weeks and in form of groups; for the control group, no intervention was performed. After completing 24 training sessions of sitting volleyball skills and NLP interventions, post-test (completion of questionnaires and observation of participants' performance in the two official games) were performed. Implementing NLP Interventions: A training program for neuro-linguistic programming strategies are selected from among neuro-linguistic programming patterns with respect to research goals, a combination of meta patterns, levels of change, anchoring and modeling. The program was drafted from NLP's main sources, such as rapid development with NLP [22], and neuro-linguistic planning [11, 13, 23]. The training package provided for this study was a workshop of 13 sessions in person and 5 sessions of recorded files and each half-hour session lasted for 8 weeks. To analyze the data, statistical methods were used at descriptive and inferential levels and statistical tests were used to fit the scale of the data using SPSS 23 software. In order to study the descriptive status, descriptive indexes of central tendency and deviation were used. In the section of inferential statistics, the multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to examine the comparison of general self-efficacy scores and sport confidence scores among the participants in the control and the experimental groups. Also, in order to evaluate the performance scores of the experimental group, dependent t-test was used and the pre-test scores were considered as covariate variables.
Findings by Text
The mean age and height of the Gostaresh Foolad Tabriz Team as the experimental group was 37.56 ± 8.30 and 174.11 ± 13.50 cm, respectively. The mean age and height of the Shahrdari Tabriz Team as the control group was 36.58 ± 6.40 years and 172.89 ± 10.57 cm respectively. The mean posttest of the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group in the dependent variables (sport self-confidence, self-efficacy and performance), whereas in the control group, no significant difference was observed between the pretest and posttest scores (Table 1). Differences in the values of sport confidence (P<0.001; F= 33.47) and general self-efficacy (P<0.001, F= 41.6) were significant between the experimental and control groups. Sport confidence and self-efficacy of the experimental group were more than the control group; consequently, there was a significant difference between the dependent variables in the experimental group. Also, based on the amount of effect size, which was 0.650 and 0.695, respectively, for sport confidence and self-efficacy, 65.0% and 69.5% of changes in dependent variables (sport confidence and general self-efficacy) in the experimental group, was explained by NLP strategies. The difference in performance variables was significant in the pretest-posttest based on game analysis (t=9.06, p <0.001) and coaches' scores (p <0.001; t=11.04). Therefore, the performance of the subjects in the post-test was better than the pre-test, which was explained by NLP strategies.
Main comparison to the similar studies
... [24, 25]. Findings showed that training NLP strategies increased self-efficacy, sport confidence and performance of sitting volleyball athletes. With respect to the effectiveness of NLP in improving self-efficacy, this result was consistent with the results of the research by Issazadegan et al. [14] and Skinner and Croft [1], and inconsistent with Sattari [26] research. The increase in the level of confidence in sitting volleyball players by NLP was also consistent with the results of Savardelavar and Bagheri research [10]. Regarding the effectiveness of NLP in improving performance in the present research and previous studies, three possible explanations can be found; the first explanation of the effectiveness of NLP in improving performance, is its effect in changing in self-awareness in athletes [13] ... [27]. This will improve the performance of the athlete. The result of this section was consistent with the results of studies by Grosu et al. [13] and Saunders [23]. Another possible explanation of the effectiveness of NLP in improving performance is the effect that the NLP has on self-efficacy. [28-33] According to this case, this research is consistent with the research by Abolqasemi et al. [31], Ladder et al. [28], Martin and Gill [32]. Another possible explanation for the effectiveness of NLP in improving performance is the impact that the NLP has on sport confidence. Regarding this case, the present study was consistent with Esfahani and Gheze Soflu studies [34] and was inconsistent with the research of Ghorbanalizadeh Ghaziani et al. [35].
Suggestions
It is suggested that in future studies, the impact of intervention on both genders, in other sports, be examined according to age and at different levels of physical fitness. Future research should be aimed at combining and isolating NLP strategies in order to achieve the most appropriate and effective NLP strategies or the relative role of each strategy in explaining self-efficacy improvement, sport confidence, and performance of athletes. In addition to self-efficacy variables, sport confidence and performance, important psychological variables such as concentration and retrieval of routine concentration before and during the competition are important for athletes with disabilities and veterans, and it is worthwhile research to examine the effectiveness of NLP strategies on these psychological variables. In addition to NLP, other interventions can be used to check their effectiveness on this variable to compare the effectiveness of these two methods. Regarding the fact that the research community was at high levels of athletic skill levels, it is suggested that this research be performed in other levels of skill such as beginner and half-experts (lower league) and also among women, and the results be compared with the findings of the present study. Also, doing research in a larger statistical society with the possibility of random selection of subjects with a larger sample size is proposed to increase the generalizability of the results. Finally, researchers can add further information to the results of the present study which was done in group-subject design by using single-subject designs in future studies.
Limitations
The limitations of this research included limitation in sample size, sport filed, physical fitness levels, age and gender.
Conclusions
Training of neuro-linguistic programming strategies increases self-efficacy, sport confidence and performance of athletes with disabilities and veterans.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the efforts of the research team, the chairman and the secretary of the sports delegation of veterans and disabled people in East Azarbaijan Province, and all dear athletes.
Conflict of interest
Non-declared
Ethical Permissions
The recommendation letter of Allameh Tabatabai University, School of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, was presented to the Sporting Ward of the Veterans and Disabled in East Azarbaijan Province. Prior to participating in the research, participants were satisfied with the written consent and they were assured that the results of the research were confidential. If they did not have the satisfaction or felt of any pressure, they would be removed from the process of research.
Funding Sources
This research was a part of the Master's Degree in Sport Psychology at Allameh Tabatabai University, School of Physical Education and Sport Sciences.

TABLES and CHARTS

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