Leah J Ferguson
Biographic Data
| ID | 2545899 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Leah J Ferguson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Leah J |
| FAMILY NAME | Ferguson |
| SIGNATURE | FERGUSON L J |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Saskatchewan |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1489-6472 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Living the good life
Mino-pimâtisiwin (Cree) and mino-bimaadiziwin (Anishinaabe), often translated as ‘the good life’, are Indigenous teachings that describe relational and wholistic understandings of well-being. Although these concepts are increasingly used across scholarly and grey literature, their meanings are not always clearly defined. This study used evolutionary concept analysis to examine how mino-pimâtisiwin is defined and applied in scholarly and grey lite…
Experiences of people with prediabetes in a self-compassion and physical activity intervention
Having a Type 2 Diabetes risk (i.e. prediabetes) is a call to action for health behaviour change. Physical activity can reduce one’s diabetes risk, but difficult emotions, stigma, and lack of support can prevent people with prediabetes from getting active. Self-compassion is a psychological resource that may help people cope with prediabetes and increase their physical activity. The MOVE IT program is an 8-week videoconferencing intervention that…
Understanding how leadership experience affects the educational attainment, employability, and wholistic wellness of Indigenous youth in Canada
The Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program (IYMP) is a youth-centred, community-based programme that fosters wholistic wellness and mino-pimâtisiwin (‘the good life’ in Cree) within Indigenous communities across Canada. IYMP uses a communal mentorship model, where Indigenous high school students, supported by programme leaders, facilitate healthy living activities for elementary-aged peers. This culturally grounded setting promotes leadership develo…
‘But having someone, kind of, walk you through what to do … ’
Women face a variety of challenges as athletes, many of which are rooted in the gendered nature of sport. Despite these challenges, they have the potential to thrive in sport provided they have access to appropriate resources such as tailored mental performance programs focused on self-compassion. With the current sport psychology evidence base largely focused on sport experiences and program preferences of men athletes, current programs overlook…
“I am strong, I am fast, I am powerful”
Body image is a multidimensional construct that influences body-related self-attitudes and self-perceptions. Racialised (i.e. persons of colour) young women athletes have unique body-related experiences that may impact their body perceptions in sport. Body self-compassion, a kind and non-judgemental way of approaching one’s body experiences, appears relevant for racialised young women in sports. The purpose of this narrative study was to explore …
Constructing a grounded theory of grit in sport
To be successful, athletes are expected to overcome the many setbacks and demands of sport throughout the entirety of their competitive career. Grit – or passion and perseverance over long terms – has been linked to positive outcomes in the sport domain, but progress in the field has been hindered by a lack of sufficient theory. The purpose of this study was to construct a grounded theory of competitive athletes’ grit in sport, and constructivist…
Development and validation of the Safe (Socially Ascribed intersectional identities For Equity) questionnaire
Traditional questionnaires do not capture the complexity of how people are viewed by others and grouped into categories on the basis of what is inferred (or not) about them. This is critical in applying an intersectionality framework in research because people are negatively impacted because of "who they are" but also based on "how others see them." The purpose of this project was to develop and validate a questionnaire, grounded in intersectiona…
Social Experiences, Social Support and Residence as Determinants of Sedentary Behaviour Among Indigenous Adults in Saskatchewan
Centuries of ongoing colonization, assimilation and historic trauma have changed social structures, roles and responsibilities among Indigenous Peoples: First Nations, Métis and Inuit. Social factors and experiences can influence sedentary behaviour; however, relationships between social determinants and sedentary behaviour among Indigenous Peoples in Saskatchewan are unclear. Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine historic trauma, so…
Re-assessing the social climate of physical (in)activity in Canada
Social-ecological models suggest that a strategy for increasing population physical activity participation is to reconstruct the "social climate" through changing social norms and beliefs about physical activity (PA). In this study, we assessed whether the PA social climate in Canada has changed over a five-year period after controlling for sociodemographic factors and PA levels. Replicating a survey administered in 2018, a sample of adults in Ca…
Self-Compassion or Self-Criticism? Predicting Women Athletes’ Psychological Flourishing in Sport in Canada
‘That’s how I am dealing with it – that is dealing with it’
Despite the growing body of literature in the field of athletes’ self-compassion over the past decade, studies with a focus specifically on men athletes are limited. In addition, although previous research suggests that differential representations of masculinities may impact men’s self-compassion uniquely, the link between men athletes’ self-compassion and masculinities is understudied. With masculinity-based negative evaluations being the sourc…
The Associations Among Self-Compassion, Self-Esteem, Self-Criticism, and Concern Over Mistakes in Response to Biomechanical Feedback in Athletes
Athletes regularly face the possibility of failing to meet expectations in training and competition, and it is essential that they are equipped with strategies to facilitate coping after receiving performance feedback. Self-compassion is a potential resource to help athletes manage the various setbacks that arise in sport over and above other psychological resources. The primary purpose of this research was to explore how athletes respond to obje…
“That’s What the Program Is All about… Building Relationships”
Peer mentorship is an effective approach for delivering health promotion programs that may be particularly useful among underrepresented populations. Advancing the peer-led approach, the Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program (IYMP) is a communal-led program rooted in Indigenous values aimed at the promotion of healthy lifestyles in children and youth. The program includes layers of multi-age mentoring (i.e., elementary students, high school student…
Exploring the emotional experiences of young women with chronic pain
Chronic pain is multidimensional and includes an emotional dimension in addition to the physical and cognitive dimensions. Self-compassion, being touched by and open to one's own suffering, has been identified as a useful resource during difficult experiences. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore the role of self-compassion in the emotional experiences of women with chronic pain. Seven women participated in focus groups, reflectiv…
Impact of the Covid-19 virus outbreak on movement and play behaviours of Canadian children and youth
Narratives of adolescent women athletes’ body self-compassion, performance and emotional well-being
Sport participation can be a highly rewarding experience for young women. However, it can also involve unpleasant experiences such as failing to meet performance goals and threats to body image, which may detrimentally impact athletes’ well-being. Body image is salient for women in sport and can also be a source of suffering/challenge. Treating oneself with compassion has been suggested as a resource to buffer against negative outcomes of failure…
The role of growth and maturation during adolescence on team-selection and short-term sports participation
It was found that youth who attended sports team's try-outs were more likely to be born early in the selection year, be tall for their age, and in some sports early maturers. The majority of both the selected and deselected participants continued to participate in sport 36 months after try-outs, with the majority continuing to participate in their try-out sport
‘It’s more than just performing well in your sport. It’s also about being healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually’
Sport participation can foster a wide range of positive psychosocial outcomes for women, including feeling empowered and self-sufficient, as well as gaining confidence, determination and self-respect. These well-documented potential benefits stem from research with non-Indigenous athletes, yet there is little published research to support an in-depth understanding of Indigenous women's unique sport experiences. Such understandings are necessary f…
‘I would love to blast some pow music and just dance’
Although physical activity is valued in Aboriginal communities, an in depth understanding of the physical activity experiences among urban Aboriginal people in Canada is absent from the literature. The primary purpose of this study was to explore First Nations students’ physical activity experiences on a university campus. A secondary purpose was to identify ways to create and promote positive physical activity experiences for First Nations unive…
Narratives of young women athletes’ experiences of emotional pain and self-compassion
Self-compassion is a healthy way of relating to the self when experiencing emotional pain, personal failure and difficult life experiences. However, there is limited research to date in the area of self-compassion and sport even though recent investigation shows it might act as a potential buffer to painful emotions for athletes. The purpose of this study was to explore and present narratives of six young women athletes (15–24 years) from a varie…
Exploring the emotional experiences of young women with chronic pain
Chronic pain is multidimensional and includes an emotional dimension in addition to the physical and cognitive dimensions. Self-compassion, being touched by and open to one's own suffering, has been identified as a useful resource during difficult experiences. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore the role of self-compassion in the emotional experiences of women with chronic pain. Seven women participated in focus groups, reflectiv…
Narratives of young women athletes’ experiences of emotional pain and self-compassion
Self-compassion is a healthy way of relating to the self when experiencing emotional pain, personal failure and difficult life experiences. However, there is limited research to date in the area of self-compassion and sport even though recent investigation shows it might act as a potential buffer to painful emotions for athletes. The purpose of this study was to explore and present narratives of six young women athletes (15–24 years) from a varie…
‘I would love to blast some pow music and just dance’
Although physical activity is valued in Aboriginal communities, an in depth understanding of the physical activity experiences among urban Aboriginal people in Canada is absent from the literature. The primary purpose of this study was to explore First Nations students’ physical activity experiences on a university campus. A secondary purpose was to identify ways to create and promote positive physical activity experiences for First Nations unive…
‘It’s more than just performing well in your sport. It’s also about being healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually’
Sport participation can foster a wide range of positive psychosocial outcomes for women, including feeling empowered and self-sufficient, as well as gaining confidence, determination and self-respect. These well-documented potential benefits stem from research with non-Indigenous athletes, yet there is little published research to support an in-depth understanding of Indigenous women's unique sport experiences. Such understandings are necessary f…
Impact of the Covid-19 virus outbreak on movement and play behaviours of Canadian children and youth
Narratives of adolescent women athletes’ body self-compassion, performance and emotional well-being
Sport participation can be a highly rewarding experience for young women. However, it can also involve unpleasant experiences such as failing to meet performance goals and threats to body image, which may detrimentally impact athletes’ well-being. Body image is salient for women in sport and can also be a source of suffering/challenge. Treating oneself with compassion has been suggested as a resource to buffer against negative outcomes of failure…
The role of growth and maturation during adolescence on team-selection and short-term sports participation
It was found that youth who attended sports team's try-outs were more likely to be born early in the selection year, be tall for their age, and in some sports early maturers. The majority of both the selected and deselected participants continued to participate in sport 36 months after try-outs, with the majority continuing to participate in their try-out sport
“That’s What the Program Is All about… Building Relationships”
Peer mentorship is an effective approach for delivering health promotion programs that may be particularly useful among underrepresented populations. Advancing the peer-led approach, the Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program (IYMP) is a communal-led program rooted in Indigenous values aimed at the promotion of healthy lifestyles in children and youth. The program includes layers of multi-age mentoring (i.e., elementary students, high school student…
Exploring the emotional experiences of young women with chronic pain
Chronic pain is multidimensional and includes an emotional dimension in addition to the physical and cognitive dimensions. Self-compassion, being touched by and open to one's own suffering, has been identified as a useful resource during difficult experiences. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore the role of self-compassion in the emotional experiences of women with chronic pain. Seven women participated in focus groups, reflectiv…
Self-Compassion or Self-Criticism? Predicting Women Athletes’ Psychological Flourishing in Sport in Canada
‘That’s how I am dealing with it – that is dealing with it’
Despite the growing body of literature in the field of athletes’ self-compassion over the past decade, studies with a focus specifically on men athletes are limited. In addition, although previous research suggests that differential representations of masculinities may impact men’s self-compassion uniquely, the link between men athletes’ self-compassion and masculinities is understudied. With masculinity-based negative evaluations being the sourc…
The Associations Among Self-Compassion, Self-Esteem, Self-Criticism, and Concern Over Mistakes in Response to Biomechanical Feedback in Athletes
Athletes regularly face the possibility of failing to meet expectations in training and competition, and it is essential that they are equipped with strategies to facilitate coping after receiving performance feedback. Self-compassion is a potential resource to help athletes manage the various setbacks that arise in sport over and above other psychological resources. The primary purpose of this research was to explore how athletes respond to obje…
Re-assessing the social climate of physical (in)activity in Canada
Social-ecological models suggest that a strategy for increasing population physical activity participation is to reconstruct the "social climate" through changing social norms and beliefs about physical activity (PA). In this study, we assessed whether the PA social climate in Canada has changed over a five-year period after controlling for sociodemographic factors and PA levels. Replicating a survey administered in 2018, a sample of adults in Ca…
Development and validation of the Safe (Socially Ascribed intersectional identities For Equity) questionnaire
Traditional questionnaires do not capture the complexity of how people are viewed by others and grouped into categories on the basis of what is inferred (or not) about them. This is critical in applying an intersectionality framework in research because people are negatively impacted because of "who they are" but also based on "how others see them." The purpose of this project was to develop and validate a questionnaire, grounded in intersectiona…
Social Experiences, Social Support and Residence as Determinants of Sedentary Behaviour Among Indigenous Adults in Saskatchewan
Centuries of ongoing colonization, assimilation and historic trauma have changed social structures, roles and responsibilities among Indigenous Peoples: First Nations, Métis and Inuit. Social factors and experiences can influence sedentary behaviour; however, relationships between social determinants and sedentary behaviour among Indigenous Peoples in Saskatchewan are unclear. Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine historic trauma, so…
Understanding how leadership experience affects the educational attainment, employability, and wholistic wellness of Indigenous youth in Canada
The Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program (IYMP) is a youth-centred, community-based programme that fosters wholistic wellness and mino-pimâtisiwin (‘the good life’ in Cree) within Indigenous communities across Canada. IYMP uses a communal mentorship model, where Indigenous high school students, supported by programme leaders, facilitate healthy living activities for elementary-aged peers. This culturally grounded setting promotes leadership develo…
‘But having someone, kind of, walk you through what to do … ’
Women face a variety of challenges as athletes, many of which are rooted in the gendered nature of sport. Despite these challenges, they have the potential to thrive in sport provided they have access to appropriate resources such as tailored mental performance programs focused on self-compassion. With the current sport psychology evidence base largely focused on sport experiences and program preferences of men athletes, current programs overlook…
“I am strong, I am fast, I am powerful”
Body image is a multidimensional construct that influences body-related self-attitudes and self-perceptions. Racialised (i.e. persons of colour) young women athletes have unique body-related experiences that may impact their body perceptions in sport. Body self-compassion, a kind and non-judgemental way of approaching one’s body experiences, appears relevant for racialised young women in sports. The purpose of this narrative study was to explore …
Constructing a grounded theory of grit in sport
To be successful, athletes are expected to overcome the many setbacks and demands of sport throughout the entirety of their competitive career. Grit – or passion and perseverance over long terms – has been linked to positive outcomes in the sport domain, but progress in the field has been hindered by a lack of sufficient theory. The purpose of this study was to construct a grounded theory of competitive athletes’ grit in sport, and constructivist…
Living the good life
Mino-pimâtisiwin (Cree) and mino-bimaadiziwin (Anishinaabe), often translated as ‘the good life’, are Indigenous teachings that describe relational and wholistic understandings of well-being. Although these concepts are increasingly used across scholarly and grey literature, their meanings are not always clearly defined. This study used evolutionary concept analysis to examine how mino-pimâtisiwin is defined and applied in scholarly and grey lite…
Experiences of people with prediabetes in a self-compassion and physical activity intervention
Having a Type 2 Diabetes risk (i.e. prediabetes) is a call to action for health behaviour change. Physical activity can reduce one’s diabetes risk, but difficult emotions, stigma, and lack of support can prevent people with prediabetes from getting active. Self-compassion is a psychological resource that may help people cope with prediabetes and increase their physical activity. The MOVE IT program is an 8-week videoconferencing intervention that…
Psychology (15 works) · Medicine (14 works) · Athletes (9 works) · Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions (9 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Mindfulness (8 works) · Physical therapy (8 works) · Self-compassion (8 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Clinical Psychology (6 works)