Kent C Kowalski
Biographic Data
| ID | 3749378 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kent C Kowalski |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kent C |
| FAMILY NAME | Kowalski |
| SIGNATURE | KOWALSKI K C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Saskatchewan |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6295-8722 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 21 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 21 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
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…
‘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…
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…
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…
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
Associations between actual and ideal self-perceptions and anticipated pride among young adults
This study examined associations between actual and ideal fitness-related self-discrepancies and anticipated pride. Participants (N = 130) read a hypothetical scenario and were asked to anticipate their feelings of pride and provide reports of actual and ideal self-perceptions. Actual and ideal selves accounted for 29% of the variance in anticipated pride. The congruence between actual and ideal selves was positively, linearly associated with ant…
Managing injury and other setbacks in sport
Regardless of the level of sport competition, setbacks are inevitable and can promote stress, requiring effective coping skills. Well-developed coping skills are required for athletes to not only reach their performance potential, but also to have healthy sport experiences. The purpose of the present study was to further explore setbacks and coping in sport experienced by a group of high-performance women athletes. Through exploration of their ex…
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…
A new view of body image
The body image experiences of young Aboriginal women are very complex and influence health in a variety of ways; subsequently, young Aboriginal women have voiced the need for action. The purpose of our research was to engage in a collaborative, school-based participatory action research (PAR) project in partnership with a local high school to provide young women, primarily young Aboriginal women, with an opportunity to manage their body image exp…
The Role of Self-compassion in Women's Self-determined Motives to Exercise and Exercise-related Outcomes
Self-compassion is emerging in the literature as a healthy conceptualization of the self (Neff, 2003a). This study explored how self-compassion is related to, and explains unique variance beyond self-esteem on, women’s motives to exercise and exercise-related outcomes. Participants were 252 women exercisers. Self-compassion was positively related to intrinsic motivation and negatively related to external and introjected motivation, ego goal orien…
Young Women's Experiences of Social Physique Anxiety
It is well documented that young women's social physique anxiety is associated with a number of health-compromising behaviors. The bulk of this research has used the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS); however, the use of questionnaires in the body domain has been critiqued because of the assumption that women's experiences are singular and static. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to try to better understand young women's experiences of…
Body-Related Emotional Experiences of Young Aboriginal Women
Concerns related to the body are associated with health-compromising behaviors, and although research has indicated that young Aboriginal women are dissatisfied with their bodies, their voices have typically been absent from the literature. The purpose of this case study was to provide insight into the body-related emotional experiences of young, Canadian, urban Aboriginal women. Four young women participated; 3 identified themselves as Aborigina…
Social Physique Anxiety in Adolescence
This study explored adolescent females’ experiences of social physique anxiety (SPA) and related coping strategies. A final sample of 31 adolescent females ages 13 to 18 years discussed dealing with SPA during individual semistructured interviews. Resultant themes pertaining to the transactional experiences of SPA were coded using content analysis. There were 107 unique coping strategies reported, which were coded into 10 subthemes. The main copi…
Predicting Change in Physical Activity, Dietary Restraint, and Physique Anxiety in Adolescent Girls
Smoking Behaviour and Dietary Restraint in Young Adolescent Women
Validation of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children
Two studies assessed the validity of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C), a 7-day recall that assesses general moderate to vigorous physical activity levels during the school year. The first study, involving 89 elementary school students in Grades 4–8, investigated convergent, divergent, and construct validity. The PAQ-C was moderately related to an activity rating ( r = .63), week summation of 24-hr moderate to vigorou…
Measuring general levels of physical activity
This article reports three studies that investigated psychometric properties of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). The PAQ-C is a guided self-administered 7-day recall measure designed to assess general physical activity levels during the school year for children in grades four and higher. Study one, with 215 students ranging in age from 9 to 15 yr, found the PAQ-C had acceptable item and test score characteristics su…
Convergent Validity of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents
This study assessed the convergent validity of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A). The PAQ-A is a modified version for high school students of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQC). The PAQ-A is a 7-day recall used to assess general physical activity levels during the school year. Eighty-five high school students in Grades 8 through 12 filled out the PAQ-A and other physical activity measures. The …
Social Physique Anxiety in Adolescence
This study explored adolescent females’ experiences of social physique anxiety (SPA) and related coping strategies. A final sample of 31 adolescent females ages 13 to 18 years discussed dealing with SPA during individual semistructured interviews. Resultant themes pertaining to the transactional experiences of SPA were coded using content analysis. There were 107 unique coping strategies reported, which were coded into 10 subthemes. The main copi…
Predicting Change in Physical Activity, Dietary Restraint, and Physique Anxiety in Adolescent Girls
Smoking Behaviour and Dietary Restraint in Young Adolescent Women
A new view of body image
The body image experiences of young Aboriginal women are very complex and influence health in a variety of ways; subsequently, young Aboriginal women have voiced the need for action. The purpose of our research was to engage in a collaborative, school-based participatory action research (PAR) project in partnership with a local high school to provide young women, primarily young Aboriginal women, with an opportunity to manage their body image exp…
Validation of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children
Two studies assessed the validity of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C), a 7-day recall that assesses general moderate to vigorous physical activity levels during the school year. The first study, involving 89 elementary school students in Grades 4–8, investigated convergent, divergent, and construct validity. The PAQ-C was moderately related to an activity rating ( r = .63), week summation of 24-hr moderate to vigorou…
Measuring general levels of physical activity
This article reports three studies that investigated psychometric properties of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). The PAQ-C is a guided self-administered 7-day recall measure designed to assess general physical activity levels during the school year for children in grades four and higher. Study one, with 215 students ranging in age from 9 to 15 yr, found the PAQ-C had acceptable item and test score characteristics su…
Convergent Validity of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents
This study assessed the convergent validity of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A). The PAQ-A is a modified version for high school students of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQC). The PAQ-A is a 7-day recall used to assess general physical activity levels during the school year. Eighty-five high school students in Grades 8 through 12 filled out the PAQ-A and other physical activity measures. The …
Smoking Behaviour and Dietary Restraint in Young Adolescent Women
Predicting Change in Physical Activity, Dietary Restraint, and Physique Anxiety in Adolescent Girls
Body-Related Emotional Experiences of Young Aboriginal Women
Concerns related to the body are associated with health-compromising behaviors, and although research has indicated that young Aboriginal women are dissatisfied with their bodies, their voices have typically been absent from the literature. The purpose of this case study was to provide insight into the body-related emotional experiences of young, Canadian, urban Aboriginal women. Four young women participated; 3 identified themselves as Aborigina…
Social Physique Anxiety in Adolescence
This study explored adolescent females’ experiences of social physique anxiety (SPA) and related coping strategies. A final sample of 31 adolescent females ages 13 to 18 years discussed dealing with SPA during individual semistructured interviews. Resultant themes pertaining to the transactional experiences of SPA were coded using content analysis. There were 107 unique coping strategies reported, which were coded into 10 subthemes. The main copi…
Young Women's Experiences of Social Physique Anxiety
It is well documented that young women's social physique anxiety is associated with a number of health-compromising behaviors. The bulk of this research has used the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS); however, the use of questionnaires in the body domain has been critiqued because of the assumption that women's experiences are singular and static. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to try to better understand young women's experiences of…
The Role of Self-compassion in Women's Self-determined Motives to Exercise and Exercise-related Outcomes
Self-compassion is emerging in the literature as a healthy conceptualization of the self (Neff, 2003a). This study explored how self-compassion is related to, and explains unique variance beyond self-esteem on, women’s motives to exercise and exercise-related outcomes. Participants were 252 women exercisers. Self-compassion was positively related to intrinsic motivation and negatively related to external and introjected motivation, ego goal orien…
A new view of body image
The body image experiences of young Aboriginal women are very complex and influence health in a variety of ways; subsequently, young Aboriginal women have voiced the need for action. The purpose of our research was to engage in a collaborative, school-based participatory action research (PAR) project in partnership with a local high school to provide young women, primarily young Aboriginal women, with an opportunity to manage their body image exp…
Managing injury and other setbacks in sport
Regardless of the level of sport competition, setbacks are inevitable and can promote stress, requiring effective coping skills. Well-developed coping skills are required for athletes to not only reach their performance potential, but also to have healthy sport experiences. The purpose of the present study was to further explore setbacks and coping in sport experienced by a group of high-performance women athletes. Through exploration of their ex…
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…
Associations between actual and ideal self-perceptions and anticipated pride among young adults
This study examined associations between actual and ideal fitness-related self-discrepancies and anticipated pride. Participants (N = 130) read a hypothetical scenario and were asked to anticipate their feelings of pride and provide reports of actual and ideal self-perceptions. Actual and ideal selves accounted for 29% of the variance in anticipated pride. The congruence between actual and ideal selves was positively, linearly associated with ant…
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
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…
‘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…
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…
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 (19 works) · Medicine (14 works) · Clinical Psychology (13 works) · Social Psychology (13 works) · Developmental psychology (11 works) · Physical therapy (10 works) · Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions (9 works) · Athletes (7 works) · Mindfulness (7 works) · Self-compassion (7 works)