“I did not ‘choke’!” : Introducing a preliminary self-presentation model of “choking” in sport
- Authors: Mesagno, Christopher
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 43rd Annual Conference of the Australian Psychological Society, Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart, Tasmania : 23rd-26th September 2008 p. 219-223
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- Description: Based on recently proposed definitions, “choking under pressure” (i.e., choking) is defined as a critical deterioration in the execution of habitual processes as a result of an elevation in anxiety levels under perceived pressure, leading to substandard performance. Researchers have provided descriptive choking models (i.e., self-focus and distraction models) with the self-focus model receiving the most empirical support, however, no one has offered explanatory models that may answer the question “why does choking occur?” Thus, the present paper is an amalgamation of three interconnected studies that, in part, examined the psychological characteristics of “choking-susceptible” athletes using qualitative interviews, which helped to develop an explanatory model of choking. A total of 174 experienced athletes completed three psychological inventories to purposively sample 14 choking-susceptible athletes who participated in a series of single-case designs that included both low- and high-pressure phases. After the experimental phase, participants were interviewed about their experience and content analyses were conducted. Common choking-related themes were increased public self-awareness, fear of evaluation/failure, and self-monitoring techniques. Further qualitative cross-case analyses provided evidence for a preliminary self-presentation model of choking that link public self-awareness, anxiety, and conveying a positive self-presentation, which will be discussed.
- Description: 2003006464
Fear of negative evaluation is an antecedent to choking under pressure
- Authors: Mesagno, Christopher , Janelle, Christopher
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 2010 North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity Conference, Tucson, Arizona, USA : 10th-12th June 2010
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A comparison of different pre-performance routines as possible choking interventions
- Authors: Mesagno, Christopher , Mullane-Grant, Thomas
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Applied Sport Psychology Vol. 22, no. 3 (2010), p. 343-360
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- Description: The purpose of the current study was to ascertain which aspect of a pre-performance routine (PPR) is most beneficial to alleviate choking. Participants included 60 experienced Australian football players in Australia, who attempted 20 kicks at a scoring zone in low- and high-pressure phases. Participants were assigned to one of five groups, with four groups undertaking intervention training and the pressure control group receiving no training, prior to the high-pressure phase. Results indicated that state anxiety increased during the high-pressure phase. Intervention groups responded to the increased anxiety with improved performance, while the pressure control group decreased performance. Thus, results add support to existing literature that a non-automated PPR, with psychological and behavioral components, decreases the likelihood of choking. Applied implications for consulting with potential choking-susceptible athletes are discussed. © Association for Applied Sport Psychology.
Alleviating choking : The sounds of distraction
- Authors: Mesagno, Christopher , Marchant, Daryl , Morris, Tony
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Applied Sport Psychology Vol. 21, no. 2 (2009), p. 131-147
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- Description: Choking is defined as a critical deterioration in the execution of habitual processes as a result of an elevation in anxiety levels under perceived pressure, leading to substandard performance. In the current study, music was used in a dual-task paradigm to facilitate performance under pressure. Three choking-susceptible experienced female basketball players were purposively sampled from 41 screened players. Participants completed 240 basketball free throws in a single-case A1-B1-A2-B2 design (A phases = low-pressure and B phases = high-pressure), with the music intervention occurring during the B2 phase. Following completion of the phases, an interview was conducted to examine perceptions of choking and cognitions associated with the effects of the music lyrics. Participants improved performance in the B2 phase, and explained that choking resulted from an increase in public self-awareness (S-A). The music intervention decreased S-A, and enabled participants to minimize explicit monitoring of execution and reduce general distractibility.
Competitive pressure and decision-making accuracy in a video-based simulation of soccer
- Authors: Mesagno, Christopher , Spittle, Michael , McNeil, Dominic
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 43rd Annual Conference of the Australian Psychological Society, Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart, Tasmania : 23rd-26th September 2008
- Full Text: false
- Description: Perceptual-cognitive skills and decision-making in sport have typically been explored using videobased protocols in settings where participants are not exposed to the type of competitive pressures that characterise a game situation. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the influence of competitive pressure, or competitive anxiety, on decision-making accuracy. Seventy-seven (Male=44, Female=33) undergraduate students with mean age of 20.16 years (SD = 3.18) were randomly assigned to an experimental (n=56) or control group (n=21) and completed a video–based perceptual decision-making test of 25 temporally occluded offensive soccer plays. Participants in the experimental group completed the test with and without competitive pressure conditions. Pressure was manipulated by introducing a competition for a monetary prize. Participants in the control condition completed the test twice without competition. All participants completed a state anxiety measure prior to each test. The competition produced significantly higher cognitive anxiety than no competition; however, this was not reflected in any significant differences in decisionmaking accuracy. Although not statistically significant, more experienced performers tended to score more accurately with competitive pressure.
- Description: 2003007671
Distribution of practice trials in the learning and retention of an applied sport skill
- Authors: Spittle, Michael , McNeil, Dominic , Mesagno, Christopher
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Motor Learning & Sport Performance Vol. 2, no. 2 (2012), p. 42-49
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Personality traits and exercise dependence: Exploring the role of narcissism and perfectionism
- Authors: Miller, Kyle , Mesagno, Christopher
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology Vol. 12, no. 4 (2014), p. 368-381
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- Description: There are currently limited investigations that have examined the relationship between personality traits and exercise dependence. The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between exercise dependence, narcissism and perfectionism. Ninety regular exercisers were recruited from various gyms, fitness centres and sporting events to complete the Narcissistic Personality Inventory [Raskin, R. N., & Terry, H. (1988). A principal-components analysis of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and further evidence of its construct validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(5), 890–902], Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale [Hewitt, P. L., & Flett, G. L. (1991). Perfectionism in the self and social contexts: Conceptualization, assessment, and association with psychopathology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(3), 456–470] and Exercise Dependence Scale-Revised [Symons Down, D., Hausenblas, H. A., & Nigg, C. R. (2004). Factorial validity and psychometric examination of the Exercise Dependence Scale-Revised. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 8(4), 183–201] either online or in person. Exercise dependence was positively related to narcissism, self-orientated perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism. Gender differences between these relationships were also found. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that a combination of narcissism and self-orientated perfectionism uniquely predicted a greater degree of exercise dependence. These findings indicate that both narcissism and perfectionism may be important antecedents of exercise dependence, and that a combination of these personality traits is associated with exercise dependence. Future research should continue to determine which personality traits contribute to the personality profile of individuals with exercise dependence. © 2014 International Society of Sport Psychology.
Choking under pressure debate: Is there chaos in the brickyard?
- Authors: Mesagno, Christopher , Hill, Denise
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Sport Psychology Vol. 44, no. 4 (Jul-Aug 2013), p. 288-293
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Testing an interactionist perspective on the relationship between personality traits and performance under public pressure
- Authors: Geukes, Katharina , Mesagno, Christopher , Hanrahan, Stephanie , Kellmann, Michael
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Psychology of Sport and Exercise Vol. 13, no. 3 (2012), p. 243-250
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- Description: Objectives: The interactionist principle of trait activation [. Tett & Gutermann (2000). Situation trait relevance, trait expression, and cross-situational consistency: testing a principle of trait activation. Journal of Research in Personality, 34, 397-423.] explains human behavior through the stimulation of traits by trait-relevant situational cues (i.e., situation-trait relevance). In applied (real-world) high-pressure situations, audiences provide the situational demand of public evaluation. Therefore, traits that are related to public evaluation are appraised as situation-relevant. The purpose of the current study was to test if situation-relevant traits (i.e., narcissism, public self-consciousness) predict performance in applied high-pressure situations, while situation-irrelevant traits (i.e., private self-consciousness) do not contribute to the performance explanation. Design/Method: Experienced handball players (N = 55) completed personality questionnaires and performed a throwing task in low and high-pressure conditions, whereby the high-pressure condition involved 1500-2000 spectators during halftime breaks of professional handball games. Results: Findings supported the assumptions about situation-trait relevancies and indicated that narcissism and public self-consciousness were relevant to high-pressure performance (i.e., positively associated), whereas private self-consciousness was found to be irrelevant. No predictors were correlated to low-pressure performance. Conclusions: Results emphasize that trait activation is a promising explanation for the relevance of personality characteristics to performance under pressure. A systematic consideration of situational demands of high-pressure situations will result in adequate appraisals of situation-trait relevance and help predict performance with trait scores. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.
Self-presentation origins of choking: Evidence from separate pressure manipulations
- Authors: Mesagno, Christopher , Harvey, Jack , Janelle, Christopher
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology Vol. 33, no. 3 (2011), p. 441-459
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- Description: Whether self-presentation is involved in the choking process remains unknown. The purpose of the current study was to determine the role of self-presentation concerns on the frequency of choking within the context of a recently proposed self-presentation model. Experienced field hockey players (N = 45) were randomly assigned to one of five groups (i.e., performance-contingent monetary incentive, video camera placebo, video camera self-presentation, audience, or combined pressure), before taking penalty strokes in low- and high-pressure phases. Results indicated that groups exposed to self-presentation manipulations experienced choking, whereas those receiving motivational pressure treatments decreased anxiety and increased performance under pressure. Furthermore, cognitive state anxiety mediated the relationship between the self-presentation group and performance. These findings provide quantitative support for the proposed self-presentation model of choking, while also holding implications for anxiety manipulations in future sport psychology research. © 2011 Human Kinetics, Inc.
Performance under pressure
- Authors: Mesagno, Christopher
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Sport Psychology Vol. 44, no. 4 (July-August 2013), p. 263-265
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
Assessment of decision-making performance and in-game physical exertion of Australian football umpires
- Authors: Larkin, Paul , O'Brien, Brendan , Mesagno, Christopher , Berry, Jason , Harvey, Jack , Spittle, Michael
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Sports Sciences Vol. 32, no. 15 (2014), p. 1446-1453
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- Description: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of in-game physical exertion on decision-making performance of Australian football umpires. Fifteen Australian football umpires (Mage = 36, s = 13.5 years; Mgames umpired = 235.2, s = 151.3) volunteered to participate in the study. During five competitive Australian football pre-season games, measures of in-game physical exertion (blood lactate levels, global positioning system [GPS]) and decision-making performance (video-based test) were obtained. There were no significant correlations between physical exertion in a particular quarter and decision-making performance in either the same quarter or any other quarter. Video-based decision-making performance was effected by time in game χ2(3) = 24.24, P = 0.001, with Quarter 4 performance significantly better than both Quarter 2 and Quarter 3. In-game physical exertion (blood lactate) significantly decreased over the course of the game χ2(3) = 11.58, P = 0.009. Results indicate no definable link between in-game physical exertion and decision-making performance. It is, however, presumed that decision-making performance may be affected by the time or context of the game. Future research is warranted to explore the relationship between physical exertion and decision-making performance to potentially inform Australian football umpire training programmes that replicate in-game physical and decision-making demands.
Igniting the pressure acclimatization training debate: Contradictory pilot-study evidence from Australian football
- Authors: Beseler, Bradley , Mesagno, Christopher , Young, Warren , Harvey, Jack
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Sport Behavior Vol. 39, no. 1 (2016), p. 22-38
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- Description: In Australian Football, set shot goal kicking is when a player has a shot at goal after taking a mark (i.e., catching a kicked ball) or receiving a free kick (i.e., penalty from an opposing player). In the past two decades, Australian football has improved in nearly all aspects of the game, yet set shot goal kicking accuracy has declined. The purpose of the current pilot study was to investigate whether pressure acclimatization training improves Australian football goal kicking under pressure. Twelve football players assigned to either an experimental (EG) or a control group (CG) completed a pre-intervention test, intervention, and post-intervention test. During the pre-intervention and post-intervention tests, participants attempted 10 goal kicking trials under low pressure (LP) and high pressure (HP) conditions. After five attempts, participants completed an anxiety questionnaire. During the intervention period, the EG practiced under HP, while the CG practiced under LP. These pilot results indicated a significant increase in participants ' anxiety from LP to HP for both groups and a significant decrease in accuracy from pre-intervention to post-intervention. In the post-intervention test, the CG was more accurate under HP than the EG, indicating no significant advantage by practicing under pressure and contradicting other acclimatization studies. These results may ignite a debate about the benefits of acclimatization training, but caution should be exercised when interpreting the results considering the pilot nature of the study. Larger sample sizes should be used to further explore these effects. Future research in acclimatization training is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
Personality and performance in real-world competitions : Testing trait activation of fear of negative evaluation, dispositional reinvestment, and athletic identity in the field
- Authors: Geukes, Katharina , Harvey, Jack , Trezise, Alexandra , Mesagno, Christopher
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Psychology of Sport and Exercise Vol. 30, no. (2017), p. 101-109
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- Description: Objectives Based on the trait activation principle, researchers have tested whether personality traits are capable of predicting sport performance (under pressure). Typically, however, these investigations followed experimental approaches in the laboratory and only rarely in the field. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to test for the generalizability of findings gained in these experimental studies and to investigate potential trait activation for real-world performance in competitions. Based on prior studies on the prediction of performance under pressure, the selected personality traits involved fear of negative evaluation, dispositional reinvestment, and athletic identity. Design Personality traits were used as predictors for low-pressure and high-pressure basketball free-throw performance. Method First, 53 basketball players completed trait questionnaires. Second, directly prior to performance assessments, participants reported on perceived importance, their somatic and cognitive state anxiety, and confidence. Third, free-throw performance was assessed in a low-pressure condition (i.e., successful free-throw percentage for 30 attempts) and repeatedly in 12 high-pressure conditions within real basketball matches (i.e., successful free-throw percentage for total attempts). Results Two main findings were identified: First, none of the traits predicted performance under low pressure. Second, under high-pressure, only fear of negative evaluation as well as state anxiety were significantly negatively associated with performance in competitions. Conclusion These results extend existing literature and add applied and ecologically valid empirical support for the relevance of anxiety-related traits (i.e., fear of negative evaluation) and states for performance under pressure in real-world competitions, emphasizing the importance of self-presentational considerations in athletes when the stakes are high. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd
Facebook use and its relationship with sport anxiety
- Authors: Encel, Kim , Mesagno, Christopher , Brown, Helen
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Sports Sciences Vol. 35, no. 8 (2017), p. 756–761
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- Description: Social media (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) use has increased considerably since its inception; however, research examining the relationship between social media use and sport has not progressed as rapidly. The purpose of the current study was to explore the prevalence rates of Facebook use among athletes around and during sport competitions and to investigate the relationships between sport anxiety and Facebook use. Two hundred and ninety-eight athletes of varying levels completed measures for sport anxiety and Facebook use, which included descriptive information about Facebook use prior to, during and following competitions. Results indicated that 31.9% of athletes had used Facebook during a competition and 68.1% had accessed Facebook within 2 h prior to competition. Time spent on Facebook prior to competition was significantly (and positively) correlated with the concentration disruption component of sport anxiety. Furthermore, regression analyses revealed that having push notifications enabled on an athletes' phone predicted 4.4% of the variability in sport anxiety. The percentage of athletes who accessed Facebook within 2 h of, or during, a competition is somewhat alarming considering the importance of psychological preparation in sport, which may compromise optimal psychological readiness and may lead to increased sport anxiety.
An evaluation of video-based training programs for perceptual-cognitive skill development. A systematic review of current sport-based knowledge
- Authors: Larkin, Paul , Mesagno, Christopher , Spittle, Michael , Berry, Jason
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Sport Psychology Vol. 46, no. 6 (2015), p. 555-586
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- Description: In this review we identified sport-based perceptual-cognitive training literature to systematically evaluate current video-based methodologies and their resultant effectiveness to improve perceptual-cognitive performance (i.e., decision-making). A comprehensive literature search of electronic databases from 1994-2013 was conducted to identify relevant studies. We identified 139 articles, of which 25 met all the inclusion criteria. Study design and test measures of the 25 articles were assessed against a classification scale to rate methodological quality. The methodological quality of the 25 studies varied, with quasi-experimental the most common design. Additionally, studies varied in the skill level of participants and the amount of video-based information presented during the training. We conclude that videobased training programs can be used to enhance perceptual-cognitive performance and outline several recommendations for future video-based perceptual-cognitive training programs particularly with respect to the validity and reliability of the instruments used to measure perceptual-cognitive performance.
Development of a valid and reliable video-based decision-making test for Australian football umpires
- Authors: Larkin, Paul , Mesagno, Christopher , Berry, Jason , Spittle, Michael
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 17, no. 5 (2014), p. 552-555
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- Description: OBJECTIVES: To develop a valid and reliable video-based decision-making test to examine and monitor the decision-making performance of Australian football umpires. DESIGN: Validation assessments with test re-test reliability. METHODS: A video-based decision-making test was developed from a pool of 156 video-based decision-making situations. Australian football umpires (n=56) and players (n=45) participated in two separate phases of analysis. In phase one, players completed a test re-test reliability assessment with a 100 video-clips. Results indicated 24 clips were a reliable measure of decision-making performance. In phase two, umpires completed a test re-test protocol with 80 clips, 24 of which were the reliable clips identified by the player cohort in phase one. These 24 clips provided a measure of construct validity. Face and content validity were assessed by skill acquisition specialists, expert umpire coaches, and umpires. RESULTS: From each of phase one and two of the reliability assessment, 24 clips were found to have a kappa value greater than 0.30, providing a total of 48 reliable video-clips. Construct validity was supported, with the umpire group performing significantly better than the player group on the 24 clips presented to both groups on each testing occasion. Face and content validity were also demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation demonstrated the ability prospectively to determine reliability and validity of the video-based decision-making test designed specifically for Australian football umpires. Establishing the validity and reliability of the video clips ensures future investigations can accurately and consistently measure the decision-making performance of Australian football umpires.
A comparative investigation of test anxiety, coping strategies and perfectionism between Australian and United States students
- Authors: Kavanagh, Bianca , Ziino, Sarah , Mesagno, Christopher
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: North American Journal of Psychology Vol. 18, no. 3 (2016), p. 555-569
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- Description: The purpose of this study was to ascertain if cross-cultural differences in test anxiety and personality characteristics (e.g., coping strategies, and perfectionism) associated with test anxiety exist between Australian and US students. University students from Australia (n = 89) and the United States of America (n = 143) completed test anxiety, coping strategy and perfectionism questionnaires. Results indicated no difference in test anxiety between the Australian and US samples, with females generally reporting higher test anxiety than males. Test anxiety was positively correlated with avoidant coping and socially prescribed perfectionism in both countries. This study was the first to compare Australian and US students on test anxiety, and provides indirect evidence that recent US test anxiety research may be generalised to the Australian population. © NAJP.
Video-based training to improve perceptual-cognitive decision-making performance of Australian football umpires
- Authors: Larkin, Paul , Mesagno, Christopher , Berry, Jason , Spittle, Michael , Harvey, Jack
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Sports Sciences Vol. 36, no. 3 (2017), p. 239-246
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Decision-making is a central component of the in-game performance of Australian football umpires; however, current umpire training focuses largely on physiological development with decision-making skills development conducted via explicit lecture-style meetings with limited practice devoted to making actual decisions. Therefore, this study investigated the efficacy of a video-based training programme, aimed to provide a greater amount of contextualised visual experiences without explicit instruction, to improve decision-making skills of umpires. Australian football umpires (n = 52) were recruited from metropolitan and regional Division 1 competitions. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group and classified according to previous umpire game experience (i.e., experienced; less experienced). The intervention group completed a 12-week video-based decision-making training programme, with decision-making performance assessed at pre-training, and 1-week retention and 3-week retention periods. The control group did not complete any video-based training. Results indicated a significant Group (intervention; Control) x Test interaction (F(1, 100) = 3.98; P = 0.02, partial 2 = 0.074), with follow-up pairwise comparisons indicating significant within-group differences over time for the intervention group. In addition, decision-making performance of the less experienced umpires in the intervention group significantly improved (F(2, 40) = 5.03, P = 0.01, partial 2 = 0.201). Thus, video-based training programmes may be a viable adjunct to current training programmes to hasten decision-making development, especially for less experienced umpires.
How can stress resilience be monitored? A systematic review of measurement in humans
- Authors: O’Donohue, Josephine , Mesagno, Christopher , O’Brien, Brendan
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Current Psychology Vol. 40, no. 6 (2021), p. 2853-2876
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- Description: Stress resilience studies focus on resilience operationalised within the context of stressors. Currently, there is no clear operationalisation of stress resilience in humans. To identify and critically examine measures used to assess stress resilience. A systematic review of English and non-English articles using PubMed (including MEDLINE), Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, ScienceDirect, and CINAHL was conducted. No date limits were set. Search terms included stress resilience, resilience to stress, stress resilient, and humans. Studies were selected based on pre-determined eligibility criteria. Empirical, quantitative research studies that measured individual stress resilience in humans were eligible for inclusion in this review. Two researchers conducted independent extraction of articles based on predefined fields, focusing on types of measures used. A narrative synthesis was used to present the findings, structured around the types of instruments used and conceptual focuses of these measures. We identified a number of measures, both self-report and performance based. We highlight the heterogeneity in operationalisation of stress resilience and suggest that, in future, researchers’ state operationalised definitions of stress resilience overtly to decrease confusion. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.