Document Type : Original research
Authors
1
Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences and Technology in Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health,Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran, Iran.
2
, Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences and Technology in Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
3
Department of Motor behavior and sports psychology, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Arak, Arak, Iran
4
Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences and Technology in Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health,Shahid Beheshti
5
Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences and Technology in Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Objective: The goal of this research was to examine the separate and combined effects of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) interventions on the irrational beliefs and performance under pressure of adolescent male footballers.Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental design using a pretest-posttest design with a control group. Sixty footballers (aged 16–18 years) were selected via convenience sampling and randomly assigned to four groups of 15 participants each: REBT, tDCS, REBT + tDCS, and Sham tDCS. The instruments utilized included the Irrational Beliefs Inventory and a Player Performance Scoring Form. The REBT groups received eight 45-minute sessions every five days. The tDCS group received 15 minutes of stimulation (2 mA), and the Sham group received 2 minutes of stimulation every five days. Data were analyzed using mixed-design Factorial Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), one-way ANOVA, and Bonferroni post-hoc tests.Findings: The results indicated that REBT, both alone and in combination with tDCS, significantly reduced irrational beliefs (p < 0.05). However, REBT did not demonstrate a significant effect on performance under pressure (p > 0.05). tDCS did not significantly impact irrational beliefs (p > 0.05), but it did increase performance under pressure in certain conditions (p < 0.05).Conclusion: REBT is effective in reducing irrational beliefs in adolescent footballers. Future research should investigate longer interventions (> 6$ months), more diverse populations, and more objective indices (such as biomarkers and actual performance metrics) to enhance generalizability and improve the understanding of the psychological and neuropsychological mechanisms involved.
Keywords
Subjects
